I Know That I'll Regret It
by Carlet
Summary: Completely AU. What if all the House characters (up to season 3) were in high school? What if Cuddy was the most popular girl, Chase the hottest guy, and House a lonely outcast? What if Cameron was a freshman who happened to catch the attention of both the hottest guy and the outcast?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Completely AU. What if everyone on House (only up to season 3) was in high school? **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything except any characters I made up. **

Chapter 1

Allison Cameron looked up at the tall brick building that was to be her new school. Suddenly, she couldn't remember why she'd been so excited for her first day of high school. Sure, her new school, Princeton Plainsboro High, was picture perfect, like something out of a catalog. Fresh faced kids ran around on the perfectly green grass. Everyone looked glamorous, like a school straight out of a movie. Gorgeous girls in miniskirts strode around, tossing their hair and smile-flirting with a group of hot guys, all dressed in varsity jackets. No doubt they were the football players.

Gulping, she turned towards her best friend, Savanna McGrier. "I don't feel so good. Let's go back." She started to turn around and go back the way they came, but Savanna stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Allie." She laughed. "We're going to be fine."

"Remind me again why we were so excited for this?" Allison said.

"Cuz it's high school!" Savanna spread her arms out in a ta da! It's gonna be the best four years of our lives. Except college, and our weddings, and..." She blabbed on and on as she dragged her inside. Sometimes, having such an optimistic best friend was a real pain in the ass.

Inside, the school looked even more gorgeous than it had outside. Unlike her middle school, which always smelled like week old pizza and gym socks, PPH had the faintest smell of wood polish and spring water. The hallways were brightly lit, thanks to many sky roofs placed in the high ceilings. Normally Allison would've stopped to admire the lobby art, but that was kind of hard, as she was being dragged through the semi crowded halls at a breakneck pace.

"Ow! Savanna, slow down!" Allison struggled to keep up in her new boots. Her usual attire consisted of sneakers, but Savanna had convinced her to "dress nice" for all the "high school hotties." "We have like half an hour before first period starts!"

"I'm not trying to get to class." Savanna said as she practically ran through the halls. Other students turned to stare at her, but the brave Savanna was unfazed.

As Savanna sprinted down the halls, Allison tried to follow, weaving between throngs of students. But the crowds were growing larger and it was getting harder to see.

Suddenly, she tripped over something (maybe her foot) and started to fall headfirst. _Great. My first day and my klutz factor is already kicking in._ All she could do as she fell was hope that her jeans wouldn't rip.

Miraculously, someone caught her before she hit the floor. She looked up gratefully into the eyes of her savior, ready to mumble a quick thank you and then continue chasing over Savanna. But that was the moment her brain ceased to work and her heart started to pound.

"Whoa there. Careful." Said the hottest guy Allison had ever seen. He had wavy blonde hair and an Australian accent. He had the build of a football player or maybe a wrestler, but instead of a varsity jacket, he wore a light blue button down and khakis. On most guys, it'd look downright geeky but on him it seemed to work.

Allison could only smile stupidly at the boy as he carefully steadied her and then bent over to pick up her fallen bag.

"Here you go." He handed it to her. Allison tried to say something, do something other than stare at this god of perfection. But her voice seemed to be stuck in her throat.

_Say something! _She ordered herself.

"I…uh…um…" She stuttered. The boy just looked at her with an amused smile.

"Cat got your tongue?" He teased. Suddenly, it registered that a hot guy (who most likely wasn't a freshman, since freshman were immature), was _flirting _with her.

She summoned up the courage to say something. "I…" But she was cut off by an angry Savanna.

"_There _you are, Allie!" She stomped over and grabbed her best friend by the hand. "Let's go!

And so Allison was pulled away from the cute guy, as he just stood there, staring in their direction.

"Didn't even catch your name!" He shouted after them, a bemused expression on his adorable face.

"Here it is!" She came to a crashing halt in front of the activites sign up lists, which was posted in front of the office. A huge group of students was already crowded in front of it.

"Do we have to do this now?" Allison whined. All she wanted to do was find her first period, and forget about the embarrassing encounter with that hot guy.

"Yes we have to do this now." Savanna pulled her friend closer, shoving aside a group of rowdy boys, who shot a glare in their direction. "We have to sign up for cheerleading before it's all filled. My sister told me it's the most popular activity here."

"Cheerleading?" Suddenly, Allison felt as though she'd swallowed something sour. She'd heard many horror stories from Zoey, Savanna's older sister who was currently a junior. According to Zoey, cheerleading at PPH was more like a sorority. She'd told them how judgmental the cheerleaders were. If you didn't match their standards, then your life was instantly a living hell. But make them like you and you were golden. It was like a ticket to instant popularity at PPH. All the cheerleaders were perfect, from perfect grades to perfect looks to perfect boyfriends.

"I don't know about this." Allison gulped, feeling nauseated. "I'm not really the peppy type."

"Allie!" Savanna took out a pen from her already overstuffed backpack. "You know that Zoey said! Instant popularity!"

"Still…"

Savanna turned to her with those puppy dog eyes that Allison could never say no to. Never. "Please? For me?"

Allison hesitated. Her head was screaming no, but she couldn't say no to her best friend. "Fine." She groaned. "Sign me up."

"Yay!" Savanna hugged her tightly, then spun around and wrote their names in large letters at the very top. "This is gonna be amazing!"

"Amazing." Allison echoed, her voice drooping. _This is gonna be the opposite of amazing._

**Author's note: My first time doing a fanfic w teens so I dont know how this is gonna end up. REVIEW! In the next ch u'll meet Cuddy...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews! **

Chapter 2

Cheerleading tryouts were held that day after school. As promised, Allison showed up promptly at 3. Given the less than stellar start (she'd tripped over another stunningly hot guy on her way to her first period, Anatomy and Physiology I. This guy wore a black t-shirt and had the most piercing blue eyes she'd ever seen), the rest of her day hadn't been all that bad. Although Savanna hadn't been in most of her classes, she'd thoroughly enjoyed them, especially her first period. She couldn't wait to start dissections, which the teacher promised they'd do in a couple weeks.

Above all, she'd daydreamed about that Australian guy she'd crashed into that morning. She'd developed a full blown crush on him, despite the fact that she didn't know his name. He wasn't in any of her classes, so he probably wasn't a freshman. Judging by the way he'd looked at her, Allison could tell he was interested. At least that's what Zoey said when she'd described their encounter.

Looking around at the other girls, Allison suddenly felt very self conscious. The other girls were toned and muscular, looking like real cheerleaders as they practiced cheers. _How did they know them already?_ While Allison was definitely on the skinny side, she was no cheerleader. Yes, she knew all the cheers but that was because Zoey had taught her and Savanna that summer. Why was she here again? Right. To support Savanna.

"There you are!" Savanna said as she came up to her. Allison could only stare at her best friend. The normally preppy Savanna had pulled her hair into two pigtails, and her tight, bedazzled tank top read Go Eagles!

"Eagles?" Allison stared at her friend's shirt.

"Nice, huh?" Savanna beamed. "I made this in art class. I think it's very spirited."

"Right." Allison nodded. She didn't want to be rude, but the shirt was more on the tacky side.

Suddenly, Savanna grabbed her arm in a death grip. "Don't look now, but here comes Lisa Cuddy."

"Who?" Allison shook her arm out of her friend's meaty hand.

"Lisa Cuddy." Savanna hissed as she looked over Allison's shoulder. "Haven't you listened to any of Zoey's stories?"

"No." Allison shook her head. While she'd paid attention to Zoey's tales of high school, she was mostly focused on what the classes were like. When she'd heard that PPH offered an Anatomy and Physiology class that came with an internship at the local hospital, she was beyond excited. A doctor was what she'd always wanted to be.

Savanna sighed impatiently as she pulled her friend aside, underneath the bleachers. "Lisa Cuddy is only the prettiest, most popular girl at PPH." She began. "Everyone bows down to her. Even the teachers. You know that hot English teacher?" Savanna waited as Allison nodded. He was her homeroom teacher. "Rumor has it that Lisa hooked up with him over the summer. And he _proposed_."

"No way." Allison shook her head. How powerful was this girl?

"Yes way." Savanna nodded emphatically. "Fifty different colleges are begging for her to attend, and she's dating the hottest guy in school. Oh yeah, and she's student body president and cheerleading captain too."

So this Lisa was a senior. "Which one is her?"

Savanna peeked out from the bleachers. "That one." She pointed at a gorgeous dark haired girl. Her hair, which cascaded down her perfectly tanned shoulders, bounced as she laughed and blew kisses at a group of football players. She had sly, knowing smile and a playful glint in her dark eyes. Though she was skinny like Allison, she wasn't bordering on anorexic like her.

"Who are they?" Allison pointed to three girls who stood around Lisa. They too were equally gorgeous, but none possessed Lisa's enticing charisma.

"That's Chloe Hastings. Lisa's second in command and co captain." Savanna pointed to a strawberry blonde girl. "The sluttiest girl in the whole school." Judging by her double D chest, Allison knew that Savanna was right.

"The one to Chloe's left is Shelby Edwards." Savanna gestured to a platinum blonde girl to Chloe's left. "The meanest girl to ever walk the halls of PPH. I heard she makes teachers cry."

Allison gulped as she studied Shelby's arched eyebrows and cocky expression. That was one person she hoped she never crossed paths with.

"And that last one's Riley Carlton. The smartest girl I know. She was accepted to Harvard when she was a _freshman_." Savanna's eyes widened in awe. "She won the Nobel Peace Prize at age 14."

Wow. Allison suddenly felt nauseated all over again. How perfect _were _these girls? They looked like models straight off the runway. What were they doing in high school?

"Oh. And that one's Lisa's boyfriend. Robert Chase."

Uh-oh. Allison could feel her breakfast coming back up. Because Robert Chase, aka Lisa's boyfriend, was the Australian guy who'd caught her that morning. The one who'd winked as she was being dragged away by Savanna.

"Um…he's dating Lisa?" Allison managed to gulp. Damn. This Lisa was sure lucky.

"Yeah. Since freshman year. Why?" Suddenly, Savanna caught onto her friend's stunned expression. "Oh God. That's the guy you were talking to this morning."

Allison could only nod.

"Wow." She admired her best friend. "Go you. You talked to the hottest guy in school."

They watched in part shock, part horror as Lisa sauntered up to Chase and planted her lips onto his. All around them, girls watched jealously. One tall, black guy shouted, "Get a room!"

"That's Eric Foreman, Chase's best friend. One of the cockiest, yet smartest guys I've ever seen." Savanna informed her as Allison looked away from the happy couple in disgust. She couldn't believe she was so stupid as to think that Chase was interested in _her_. She was nothing. A mere, forgettable freshman who crashed into him in the hall. He probably forgot all about her five seconds after she left.

Just then, Shelby and Riley walked by. "Nice shirt, _frosh_." Shelby snickered, pointing at Savanna's chest with a perfectly French manicured finger as she and Riley made their way down the field, towards the throng of girls huddled around the table that was set up. "I didn't know tacky was back in style." She and Riley collapsed into a fit of giggles as they sauntered away.

Savanna instantly paled as she looked down at her shirt. "I, um…." She was rarely at a loss for words. She started to take it off, but was stopped by a blast of Lisa's whistle. She, Chloe, Shelby, Riley, and the other cheerleaders were now standing in a huddle.

"All girls trying out for cheer over here!" Lisa called. Her voice was bossy, yet authoritative. She was a natural born leader, another thing Allison hated about her.

She and Savanna joined a group of nervous looking girls. Their fellow freshmen, no doubt. Some of them looked fierce and confident, while others looked more like they were about to puke. Allison could sympathize.

"Hello, and welcome to tryouts for 2012-2013 PPH cheer!" Lisa announced. "My name is Lisa Cuddy and I'm one of your cheer captains."

Chloe stepped up next to her best friend. "And I'm Chloe Hastings, and I'm your other captain. Obey me, and we'll get along swimmingly. But disobey me, and well, I'll crush you like a bug." As she spoke, she twirled a strand of her hair. Allison could see at least three guys staring longingly.

"Now, now Chloe, let's not scare the poor frosh." Shelby sneered at the scared group of girls before her. "That's my job."

_Meanest girl indeed_. Allison thought.

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Anyway, this clipboard is the list of everyone who signed up. This tryout is simple. I'll read off your name, you perform for us, and you leave. Tomorrow afternoon I'll post the list of everyone who made it next to the office."

One by one, Allison and Savanna watched as each girl's name was called. It seemed like they were starting with the upperclassmen, leaving behind a throng of scared looking girls who were undoubtedly freshman and sophomores.

Just then, Savanna's name was called.

"Good luck!" Allison said as her friend walked confidently towards Lisa and the others. She watched Shelby rolled her eyes at Savanna's tank top again, and then turned to whisper something to Chloe. The two of them stifled giggles as Savanna's face reddened.

Before she knew it, Savanna was done. She jogged back to her friend, her face red with exertion.

"How was it?" Allison asked. She hadn't bothered to watch, for she knew it'd just make her nervous. So she'd buried her head in her new Anatomy and Physiology textbook.

"Ok, I guess." Savanna blew her bangs out of face. "But it was so _hard_. I didn't expect that we'd have to be able to do so many things. All those cheers and everything."

"Allison Cameron!" Came Lisa's voice. "You're up next!"

Allison felt as though she'd swallowed a squirrel. She was rooted to the spot.

"Allison?" Lisa called.

But Allison remained motionless.

"If you don't get your ass up here in the next five seconds…" Shelby threatened.

"Go!" Savanna shoved her forward.

Allison stumbled forward into the harsh sunlight and stepped up before them.

"Hi." Lisa smiled at her. God, she was even more perfect in person.

"H-hi." Allison's voice shook, and she fought to keep herself from collapsing.

"You don't need to look so scared." Riley said kindly. "We're not gonna eat you."

Allison tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace.

"All right then, since you're a freshman, we'll go easy on you." Chloe picked up a pen.

As Allison recited all the cheers Zoey taught her that summer, all she could do was thank her lucky stars that she'd had several years of intense gymnastics lessons. She hoped that once this was all over, she wouldn't be the laughingstock of the school.

**Author's note: REVIEW! And u'll see more of House in the next ch**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Second day's always better than the first, right_? Allison thought to herself as she pushed open the heavy doors and stepped inside the school.

Because Savanna was running late, she was forced to walk to school by herself. She pushed through the already crowded hallway, making her way to her first period. She was so concentrated on going into the correct classroom (yesterday she'd accidentally walked into the wrong classroom three times) that she walked straight into someone. Again.

"Ugh!" The person said. Startled, Allison looked up. It was the guy with the piercing blue eyes she'd walked into yesterday. He wore a leather jacket again, along with a wrinkled black t shirt.

"Is this a particular habit of yours?" He snapped, rubbing his head.

"Sorry." Allison said sheepishly. She stepped forward, trying to step around him, but only succeeded in stamping on his foot with the pointy heel of her boot.

"Ow!" He howled in pain as he hopped up and down, holding his injured foot.

"I'm so sorry!" Allison felt terrible. She'd injured this guy way too many times. "Do you want me to take you to the nurse or something?" She felt so bad she barely registered how cute he was. Not as enticing as Chase, but there was something equally irresistible about him. Especially those eyes.

"No!" The guy said harshly. "Stay away from me." He limped out, leaving his bag on the floor by the teacher's desk.

Allison stared at his retreating form, feeling horribly guilty.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

"Don't beat yourself up about it." Savanna said later at lunch as Allison recounted her disastrous encounter with that mysterious guy. "That's House for ya."

When Allison looked at her friend in confusion, Savanna rolled her eyes. "Greg House." She explained. "Hot senior, super mysterious? Nearly got expelled for drugs last year? Does any of this ring a bell?"

Allison shook her head. "No."

"You really don't listen, do you?" Savanna took a bite of her apple. "He's the biggest enigma at PPH. He's an outcast." She pointed him out. House sat alone at a table in the corner of the cafeteria, deeply engrossed in his Game Boy, something Allison thought was obsolete.

"No one really cares about him. He wasn't expelled only cuz he's super smart or whatever. He's like a stray dog that no one wants around but can't get rid of." Savanna finished. "In my opinion, he's nothing more than a stupid druggie who was dumb enough to get caught." She finished.

_But there was something exceedingly interesting about him_, Allison thought to herself. She couldn't help but stare at him as he sat by himself while all around him people talked loudly to their friends. She watched as he suddenly whooped loudly. No doubt he'd passed through a hard level of his game or whatever. The cafeteria fell silent as they all stared at him in half disgust, half surprise. Slowly, they all rolled their eyes as they turned back to their conversations.

But Allison couldn't keep her eyes off him. Suddenly, he looked up and caught her gaze. He just stared intensely at her with those stunning blue eyes. Her heart pounded as they just stared at each other. She smiled at him tentatively, half expecting him to flip her off. A few terse moments later, he half smiled at her before returning to his game.

Intriguing. Allison thought as she turned back to her lunch. That was the perfect word to describe him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After school, Allison was dragged out of her math class by Savanna, who wanted to get to the office before the halls became crowded.

"Savanna, slow down!" Allison said as she fought to keep up with her best friend. But Savanna was wholeheartedly determined to get to the list to see who'd made the cheerleading squad.

"There it is!" Savanna said as she approached the list. "Oh God, I can't look at this." She covered her eyes. "Allie, you look at it."

Without arguing, Allison scanned the list. There were two simple columns, one full of names that hadn't made it and the second, a much smaller list of girls who _had _made it.

"So? Did I make it?" Savanna demanded.

Allison looked at the list again. Sure enough, Savanna's name was in the reject column. "Sorry."

Savanna uncovered her eyes. "I knew it." She sighed. "Did you check for your name?"

"No." Allison said truthfully. She'd forgotten all about this. She ran her finger down the list of rejects, fully expecting her name to be there. "I don't see my name though." She frowned.

But Savanna was busy staring at something on the paper. "That's because your name's here." She pointed at the second column. "Holy shit, Allie, _you made the cheerleading squad!" _

Allison felt her blood run cold as she looked at the list for the third time. Just as Savanna had said, her name was printed in dark ink in the column of girls who'd made the squad. "This has got to be a mistake." Her voice shook. "There's no way…"

Savanna had gone pale. She stared at her in a funny way. "I thought you didn't wanna be on the squad." She said slowly.

"I don't!" Allison protested.

"Really?" Savanna jabbed her finger at Allison's name. "Cuz it sure as hell looks like you wanted it. There were only five girls who made it, Allie. Four juniors, three sophomores, and _one freshman_. There's no way you coulda made it unless you practiced. A lot."

"I didn't practice! This is a mistake!"

Savanna rolled her eyes. There was an ugly expression on her face. "God, Allie!" She shouted. Several girls around them turned to stare in alarm, but Savanna just ignored them. "You knew how much this mean to me! Why couldn't you just let me have something for once? It's not all about you!"

And with that, Allison's best friend took off down the hall, toward the exit.

Allison slowly made her way to her locker. She knew that Savanna was jealous. She'd wanted this so bad, and to lose it to someone who hadn't even wanted to be on the squad, well, it was enough to piss anybody off.

_But it's not my fault_! Allison thought angrily as she grabbed her textbooks. She hadn't even prepared for this. If anyone deserved to be on the squad, it was Savanna. She'd started preparing for tryouts last May. Yes, Allison had had several years of gymnastics lessons, and sure she'd been one of the only girls who actually knew the cheers at tryouts (even Savanna messed up a couple times, despite Zoey's coaching). But that was only because Allison had a natural affinity for memorization.

_This was just a fluke_. Allison decided. A mistake. Maybe they'd meant to put Adrienne Carter, or something, and accidentally put Allison Cameron. There was no way she made the squad. She was only a freshman!

She slammed her locker, hard, and turned left towards the exit. She was so flustered that she didn't even notice she'd walked straight into Chase.

"Oh!" She said, flustered, dropping her heavy armload of books. A true gentlemen, Chase immediately bent down to pick up her stuff.

"So I guess I'll be seeing a lot of you." He said, handing her the books.

"What do you mean?"

"Cheerleading." Chase leaned against the lockers, an amused glint in his eye. "I hear you're the only freshman to make the squad this year."

"Oh. Right. That." The sinking feeling was back. "Whatever. It's not that big of a deal."

He placed his hands in his pockets. "Either you're incredibly humble, which is very cute, or you're very good at hiding your feelings. Whatever it is, you don't fool me." He crossed his arms and smirked at her.

Allison rolled her eyes, trying not to let his use of the word cute affect her. What was with this guy? "I just don't think it's that big a deal. It's just cheerleading."

"Just cheerleading?" Chase raised his eyebrows. "I know my girlfriend and her lackeys. You have to be incredibly amazing to make her squad." He leaned in closer, so close that Allison could feel the tickle of his breath on her neck. "Are you incredibly amazing, Allison Cameron?"

She did not need this right now, for it only made her feel worse. "I have to go."

It was obvious Chase could tell he'd struck a nerve, for he immediately backed up, looking worried. "What's wrong?"

"Like I'd tell you." She snapped, trying to leave but he blocked her way.

"What did I do?"

Suddenly, she just snapped. "What did you do?" She wheeled around on him. "Well for starters, you're flirting with me when you have a girlfriend!"

Chase raised his arms in surrender. "Can't help it. I'm just a friendly guy."

"Friendly guy my ass." Allison retaliated. "God, I'm so sick of you people! First Savanna and now you. I told her it's not my fucking fault I made the squad, but…" She trailed off as she realized who she was talking to.

"Forget it." Allison sidestepped Chase and turned to go.

"Wait." Chase stopped her with a hand on her arm. "I'm sorry." To his credit, he actually did look sorry.

"Whatever." Allison shook off his hand and stomped off.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

Lisa winked at her perfect reflection in the slightly cracked bathroom mirror. As usual, she looked flawless. Her dark eyes sparkled playfully, while her black waves were styled to perfection. Her teeth were iPod white and her full lips were still glossy, despite the long day of school.

_So much for needing this._ Lisa thought as she tossed her makeup bag back into her purse.

"I still can't believe you put a _freshman_ on the squad." Shelby mused as she reapplied her lip gloss. "A _freshman_. Jeez Lee, don't tell me you're becoming soft."

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly, Shelby. She was the best out of all the others."

"Especially her friend. What's her face? Dirty blonde hair, over eager expression, ugly tank top…." Riley said.

Shelby cackled. "I know right?! As if we'd ever allow a loser like that to breathe the same air as us."

"Exactly. Better her than her friend, right?" Lisa replied. "Besides, I did say that it's time to break tradition and allow a freshman to be on the squad."

"I guess if you think about it, she was rather good." Shelby said begrudgingly.

"And she's sorta pretty." Lisa chimed in, capping her eyeliner.

"What's taking Chloe so long?" Riley whined as she checked her iPhone for the millionth time. "Our spa appointments are in fifteen minutes!"

Just then, the door banged open. Chloe stepped in, looking flustered.

"There you are!" Riley said, but Chloe ignored her.

"Lee, you'll never believe what I just saw!" Chloe said.

"What?" Lisa asked, her tone suspicious.

"So I was on my way here from the office and since the hallway was SO effing crowded, I decided to take a shortcut." Chloe began.

"Get to the point, C."

"I walked by the freshman wing, which is like the shortest way here, and you'll never believe what, or rather who, I saw."

"Who?" Shelby asked, bored.

"Alyssa! That freshman that Lee apparently decided was good enough to be on the squad."

"You mean Allison." Riley said, amused.

"Right. Whatever. Like it matters." Chloe rolled her big blue eyes. "Anyway, that's not even the worst part. I saw her flirting! With Chase!"

Lisa immediately looked up from her iPhone. She looked mildly curious. "What?"

"You heard me! She was flirting with Chase!" Chloe repeated, her eyes wide.

"That little bitch!" Shelby screeched. "Who does she think she is? She's a freshman!"

"We should kick her off the squad." Riley suggested, but Lisa ignored her.

"Lee?" Chloe, Shelby, and Riley looked at their leader. "What should we do?"

Lisa shrugged. "Nothing."

They all looked shocked.

"But Lee!" Chloe protested. "She was flirting! With your boyfriend!"

"She's just a freshman. She probably doesn't know better." Lisa said. "Besides, I know Chase. He's a huge flirt. I swear to God, if it weren't for me, he'd hump anything with boobs and a pair of legs."

Riley snorted, but Chloe and Shelby weren't amused.

"But…"

"Enough." Lisa held up a hand. "I trust Chase." She threw her phone into her bag. "We'll just have to keep a very careful eye on him from now on. On both of them."

**Author's note: Please review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: New ch just cuz i was feeling nice. For those of you who wanted to see more House, here it is. **

Chapter 5

It was only the fifth day of school, but Allison felt as if it were the millionth. She was already sick of high school, if that was possible. In the several days she'd been there, she felt as if she'd experienced a lifetime's worth of drama. Savanna was completely ignoring her, choosing instead to surround herself with a bunch of girls from her classes. As a result, Allison was completely alone.

It didn't help that everyone held her at an arm's length. The news about her becoming a cheerleader had spread like wildfire around school, turning her into an instant enigma. According to Zoey, a freshman hadn't made the squad since 1993. Everyone now treated her with a mixture of awe and fear. There were rumors going around that she'd somehow conned her way into becoming a cheerleader. Wherever she went, Allison could feel people watching her, mocking her, and silently judging her. Especially Lisa, Chloe, Shelby, and Riley. She could sense that they were dedicating a lot of their time into spying on her.

_It probably had to do with Chase_. Allison thought as she silently made her way into first period, Anatomy and Physiology, Friday morning. She was slowly filling with dread, for today was her first day of cheer practice. She was already planning to quit, and didn't know how everyone would react. _They probably saw Chase flirting with me so they're watching to see if anything else happens. _Luckily for her, Chase was staying away.

"All right class, please turn to page…" The teacher's voice droned on and on. The class that Allison had looked forward to since the summer had become her personal hell, as it was full of whisperers who had nothing better to do than gossip about her.

Suddenly, the door flew open, and in walked Greg House. He wore his usual wrinkled tshirt, leather jacket, and frown.

Allison immediately sat up and smoothed back her brown locks. Her heart was pounding for reasons unknown. Maybe it had to do with the fact that House's stunning blue eyes were currently fixated on her.

"Hello Mr. House. Better twenty minutes late than never." The teacher sighed as she stopped her lecture. "Class, this is Greg House, your TA."

Allison knew from Zoey that seniors at PPH got a free period, so they either had to be a TA for a certain class or help out in the library.

House merely nodded at them, his eyes still trained on her.

"I was just telling them about the four chambers of the heart. Perhaps you'd like to do that instead?" The teacher suggested. "I'll be back in twenty minutes." She strode out of the class.

"Why not?" House said sarcastically, throwing down his beat up looking backpack. "Seeing that I have nothing better to do."

He trudged over to the teacher's PowerPoint. "Well, this is sort of self explanatory. Here's the four chambers, blah blah blah." He pointed. "I'm sure you can all read." He flipped rapidly through the PowerPoint. "Mitral valve, etc." House wrinkled his nose. "What _is _this garbage?"

Many of the students were too busy not paying attention to hear House's complaints and mutters about their lesson for the day. But Allison, who'd sat up the moment he entered the room, heard every word.

"Excuse me? H-House?" She raised her hand tentatively. "Why don't you actually teach us this _garbage_, cuz it's gonna be on our final."

House rolled his eyes at her. "Final, shminal. Who cares?"

"Um, I do." Allison said, emboldened. "And everyone else in this class."

House looked around mockingly. "Really? Looks like everyone here cares _oh so much_."

Allison looked away, her face flaming while a bunch of girls behind her erupted into giggles. Who did this guy think he was? Alright, maybe he was a genius or whatever. But that didn't meant he could go around acting like a cocky bastard.

"Now, I think it's time for something more productive." House said as he turned off the PowerPoint and started to erase everything on the board. "_My _homework." He started to write stuff on the board.

"Y-you can't do that! You can't just _use _us to do your homework. It's not our fault you're too stupid to do it yourself." Allison looked behind her for support, but everyone quickly looked down. Nobody wanted to cross the infamous House.

"Really. _I'm _stupid." House raised his eyebrows.

"W-ait no I didn't mean…" Allison stammered but House was on a roll.

"If I'm so stupid let's see you try and do this then. Differential diagnosis for fever, bruises and fatigue." He smirked cockily at her, obviously expecting her to falter.

"Easy. Flu." Allison smirked back. "Everyone knows that."

"Nope." House started pacing around the room. "Try again."

"Umm…" Allison thought as she repeated the symptoms in her head. _Fever, bruises, and fatigue. Fever, bruises, and fatigue. _They sounded vaguely familiar, as she'd recently read something online that had to do with those symptoms. _Fever, bruises, and fatigue. Fever, bruises, and fatigue_.

"Give up?" House smirked sardonically. "I knew you were too stupid to…"

"Leukemia…" Allison muttered as she recalled the article she'd read last week. She had this weird little habit of reading medical journals online. "Leukemia!" She repeated, louder this time.

House nodded. "Impressive." He said. "Maybe I underestimated you." He half smiled at her. She met his gaze, staring deep into his electric blue eyes. Allison felt an excited tingle zip down her spine as they continued to stare deep into each other's eyes. Strangely, there was a hint of sadness in them. What did he have to be sad about?

They were still staring at each other when the teacher walked in, holding a fresh mug of coffee. "Wow, you sure went through the PowerPoint fast."

**Author's note: Review! And for those of you who want more Chameron, just wait and see...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: So thanks to all the lovely reviews, I decided to update sooner. **

Chapter 6

Late. She was late again. Her math teacher had let them out late, cheer practice started in three minutes, and she had to go all the way across the school to get to the gym.

_Fab._ Allison thought as she raced down the hall, dodging throngs of students who seemed to have a knack for standing in the middle of the hallway for no apparent reason. As she made her way down the crowded hallway, she thought she heard someone call her name. It was probably Chase coming to bother her again, but she didn't bother turning back.

"Allie!" The person called again. Their voice seemed to get closer. "Wait!"

_No way in hell_. Allison quickened her step. There were only 2 minutes left and she still had to go change in the locker room.

"Allie!" It was Savanna. "Didn't you hear me calling your name for like the last fifteen minutes?"

Allison sighed impatiently as she turned around. "I don't have time for this, Savanna. I'm late."

"Late for what?" Savanna asked. "Oh." She said, realization dawning. "Cheer practice. Right."

"Yeah." Allison turned to go, but Savanna stopped her.

"Allie, wait." Savanna stopped her. For once in her life, she looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry for everything. I was just jealous of you." She shifted her weight from side to side. "I've always been jealous of you. You're prettier, smarter, skinnier. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could be good at something, but I guess it's not cheerleading."

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore." Allison said. "I'm quitting."

"What?" Savanna breathed. Shock filled her features. "Why?"

"I don't want this to come between us." Allison said simply. "You're my best friend."

"That's why you can't quit." Savanna protested. "Look, Allie you were actually really good at tryouts. Great, even. You can't quit just cuz of me and my jealousy." She continued. "I promise I won't be such a bitch about cheerleading anymore. I've really missed you. Do you know how painful it was to eat lunch with those other losers?" She paused to take a breath. "Besides, if you make them like you, we'll be invited to cool parties and stuff. It's a win-win."

Allison felt a huge smile creep across her face. There was the best friend she knew and loved. "Missed you too." She wrapped Savanna in a tight hug.

"You're gonna be late." Savanna said as she pulled away. "And I gotta go catch the bus. Call me after practice. Good luck." She smiled.

"Thanks." Allison headed to the gym, her heart lighter than it had in days. With Savanna by her side, she could handle anything.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

That hopeful attitude faded the moment Allison stepped into the gym. Lisa, who was in the middle of what looked like a pep talk, glared at her.

"Well, well, well, look who's late." Shelby drawled. She was perched on top of a stack of mats, smoking a cigarette and texting on her iPhone.

"Have a seat." Lisa smiled tightly. "I was just in the middle of telling everyone else about uniforms." She and Chloe started their spiel about all the rules again.

"…and from now on, y'all will sit with us during lunch. At the cheerleader's table." Chloe was saying. "We want everyone to know who you are."

"You will have to wear these shirts every Friday." Lisa held up a green and white t-shirt that had the words PPH Cheer printed on in thick white letters. "Friday's cheer spirit day."

Allison picked at a hangnail while pretending to listen. While she was usually one for the rules, she didn't really care all that much about cheerleading.

"All right now, everybody up!" Lisa clapped her hands. "We're gonna go through a few basic cheers so you'll all be ready for the game on Friday." With that, she, Chloe, Shelby, and Riley launched into a complicated series of alternating claps and kicks. It looked like something out of Cirque du Soleil. They led them through what seemed like an endless series of cheers, and then a multitude of moves that included splits, cartwheels, flips, and jumps. Luckily, Allison was flexible enough to do everything. Some of the other girls weren't as lucky, as they struggled to keep up. Still, when Lisa called for a water break an hour later, Allison was sweaty and out of breath. She staggered off to her bag alone, casting a look at Lisa and the others. She watched them out of the corner of her eye. The more she stared at them the more she envied them. They were beautiful, graceful, and athletic. Everything she'd ever wanted to be.

"Sonny, over here!" She heard Lisa call from where she, Chloe, Shelby, and Riley were perched on some mats. Allison figured they weren't talking to her, so she continued to drink from her bottle, checking her phone for texts.

"You there! Freshman with the brown ponytail! Get your ass over here!" Shelby screeched. Several girls looked at her in alarm. As she was the only freshman in the room, Allison knew they were talking about her. Slowly, she approached the Fearsome Foursome (as she'd secretly dubbed them in her mind). They looked like four otherworldly goddesses, summoning a mere peasant.

"My name's Allison." She corrected them.

"Doesn't matter." Chloe interrupted. She was filing her nails with a bored expression on her face. Despite their intense workout, not a hair was out of place. "We can call you whatever we want. We're the seniors, and you're the freshman. Understand?"

Allison nodded her eyes wide. She didn't want to piss them off. Not if she wanted them to like her.

"Anyway, we're very proud of you. You're the only freshman to make the squad since '93." Lisa began. "So we'd like to invite you to hang with us after practice." Around her, Chloe, Shelby, and Riley nodded in agreement.

_The most popular girls in school are inviting me to hang out with them! _ Allison thought excitedly. "Sure!" She said, then cringed. _Did I sound too overeager? _

"Great." Lisa exchanged a smirk with Chloe. "See ya after practice." She stood up and clapped her hands again. "All right, break's over!"

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

Another grueling hour later, practice was finally over. A mere two hour practice felt as though it'd lasted two days. The exhausted expressions on the other girls' faces told her that they all felt the same way.

"God, that was so intense." A sophomore, Taylor, complained as she picked up her bag. "Ugh."

"It's all because of her." Another sophomore named Ivy hooked her thumb over her shoulder, pointing straight at Allison. "They're trying to kick her out, so they figured working us to death would make her want to quit."

Taylor and Ivy rolled their eyes at Allison as they walked out of the gym, groaning about how sore they were gonna be tomorrow.

"Yo! Sonny, over here!" Riley called. "Time to go shopping!"

"Here." Lisa and Chloe handed Allison their heavy bags. Shelby and Riley followed suit. Allison stumbled, but caught herself before she fell. So this was why they wanted her on the squad. They only wanted a lackey. Someone to carry their stuff.

They piled into Lisa's car, which Allison noted was much nicer than hers. As they drove to the mall, singing along to the radio, Allison rested her head against the cool glass window. She was a sweaty mess from practice. All she wanted was to go home and shower (plus finish her huge pile of hw), but reminded herself that she had to make Lisa and her friends like her.

**Author's note: Don't worry, more Hameron is coming in the next several chapters. Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

And so it went like that for the next several weeks. Thanks to Lisa and her stupid rule about all the cheerleaders sitting at the same lunch table, Allison became the table's server. Every day, Lisa or Chloe would give her a list of chores to do, including tasks such as fetching their lunches and forging excuse notes. Allison grew more and more frustrated, but constantly reminded herself that if she could make Lisa and her friends like her, her life would be amazing. She was strong, and she knew it. She refused to let a group of mean girls break her.

But cheerleading (and hazing!) was taking a toll on her life. Due to Lisa and her ridiculous list of chores, Allison had less and less time to finish her homework. She often found herself having to finish her homework during lunch or the class before. Once, they'd texted her in the middle of the night and forced her to sneak out and go over to Lisa's house, just to prove her loyalty. Worst of all, she barely had any time to talk to House, something she'd been meaning to do since that fateful day.

"Allison, can I talk to you for a sec?" Her Anatomy and Physiology teacher stopped her one day. House was perched on a stool next to the teacher's desk, playing on his Game Boy. Allison had been on her way to meet Lisa and receive a new list of chores.

"Yeah?" She approached the teacher. The only thought on her mind was that if she was late to meet Lisa, she'd be in trouble.

"I'm worried about your grades." Her teacher said, showing her a stack of papers. "These are your latest test scores."

Allison flipped through the papers, a sinking feeling growing inside. 75, 68, 55. As the tests became more and more recent, the scores grew lower and lower, culminating in a lousy 32 on her latest test.

"Is something wrong?" Her teacher asked, her voice full of concern. "Your scores have been growing lower and lower."

"No." Allison muttered. No way in hell was she gonna tell her teacher that cheerleading was screwing up her life.

"Thanks to your good grades at the beginning of the semester, you currently have a C average in this class. If you work really hard, you might be able to bring that up to a B." Her teacher said. "So I've assigned you a tutor." She nodded to her right, where House was staring intently at his Game Boy. "House."

_House?_

"Did somebody say my name?" House said without looking up.

"Yes. You'll be tutoring Allison until the semester final in January."

House put down his Game Boy, his face full of mock horror. "But Mommy, I have _so _many things to do. Shopping, getting my nails done."

"I don't need a tutor." Allison said quickly. She really didn't have time for it, no matter how much she wanted to spend time with House.

The teacher's mouth twisted into what looked like a smile, but she quickly composed herself. "You know that being agreeing to be a TA means you need to tutor students when needed." She turned to Allison. "And Ms. Cameron, your slipping grades beg to differ. If you want an internship at the hospital junior year, you'll need superb grades starting now."

Allison nodded. "Ok."

"Looks like we'll be spending a lot of time together then." House smirked at her. "Give me your digits, and we'll have some fun, if you know what I mean." He winked.

The teacher rolled her eyes and stood up. "Good luck. House can write you a pass for your next class." She click clacked out of the room, leaving House and Allison alone.

"Give me your number." House said abruptly.

Allison looked up, blushing. "Um, what?"

"Your. Number." House repeated slowly as if he was talking to a six year old. "I need it."

"Why?" Allison was momentarily confused, still hung up on the fact that she was super late to meet Lisa.

"For tutoring." House rolled his eyes. "I need your number so I can call you to schedule a tutoring session."

"Oh. Right." Allison's cheeks felt like they were on fire. She recited her number, and House typed it into his phone.

"Stupid freshman." He muttered as he walked off.

Allison just stood there, watching his retreating form as he exited the room. She was too hung up on the fact that she'd be spending a lot of time with House.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

"You're late." Shelby said coldly as Allison approached the cheerleaders' table.

"Sorry. I was late to class, so I had to stay behind to…" Allison was cut off by Shelby.

"I'm sorry, does this look like a face that cares?" Shelby snapped. "Just go get our lunches."

Allison picked up the list. It was twice as long as usual.

"I'm realllly hungry." Riley made a big show of rubbing her stomach.

As Allison headed towards the nearly empty lunch line, she sighed heavily. She still had a bunch of math homework to finish. Thanks to cheerleading practice, which had lasted until 6 last night, she hadn't had any time to do any of it. She cast a longing look at the table where she used to sit with Savanna. Lisa had made all the cheerleaders switch to first lunch, so Allison no longer had lunch with her best friend.

Turkey sandwich, salad, Diet Coke, cookies…the list went on and on. _Riley sure is hungry_, Allison thought as she piled items onto her tray. As she made her way down the list, the pile on her tray grew larger and larger, teetering precariously.

"Need some help?" A familiar Australian accent lilted. It was Chase. Instantly, Allison blushed. She looked terrible. Her unwashed brown locks were thrown into a sloppy knot and she was wearing yesterday's sweater.

"No." She muttered, trying to sidestep him, but that was the moment the tray chose to topple over. Items rained down around her as she raced around trying to prevent them from hitting the ground. Like a true gentleman, Chase immediately helped her pick everything up.

"Thanks." She said, piling them back onto the tray.

"You sure are hungry, aren't ya?" There was an amused glint in his eye. God, he was so cute, yet so off limits.

"It's not for me."

"Really? Then who's it for?" He leaned against the counter, blocking her way. It was one of his annoying, yet very endearing habits. A blond curl flopped down, obscuring his line of vision, and he lazily shook it away.

"None of your business." Allison tried to make her way to the table, but the tray and Chase were making it exceptionally hard to do so. "Move." She said impatiently.

"Not till you tell me what's gotten your panties in a twist." He leaned closer.

Something about the knowing way he stared at her, combined with her awful day, the prospect of more chores and yet another grueling cheer practice made her snap. Who did this guy think he was, flirting with her while his girlfriend sat merely twenty feet away, definitely in earshot. The worst part was, Allison had a huge (but secret!) crush on him, and his shameless flirting only made her feel worse.

"Get away from me!" She stomped on his foot, hard. It was a very effective tactic, for he quickly headed back to his table, where Foreman and the rest of his meathead friends were laughing loudly about God knows what.

"Here." She slammed the tray on the table, and took her usual seat next to Riley.

"What's wrong?" Lisa asked in a rare show of kindness.

"Nothing." Allison muttered, checking her watch. There were twenty minutes of lunch left. If she hurried, she might be able to get her math homework done. As for French, well she'd have to take another zero for homework.

"C'mon, you can tell us." Lisa said, her eyes full of innocence.

"We won't bite." Chloe added.

Allison continued to stay mum. She didn't want to get in trouble for bitching about them.

"Let me guess." Lisa said finally. "You're stressed out over homework, you're failing all your classes, cheerleading's taking up too much time, and we're giving you too much stuff to do…" She looked expectantly at Allison, who nodded violently before realizing what Lisa had said.

"Yes, exactly…er I meant not…" Allison trailed off awkwardly.

Lisa laughed. It was a beautiful sound, yet there were sarcastic undertones. "Sure it is. We've all been freshman. We know how it is, right girls?" She looked around the table of cheerleaders, and every single one of them nodded in agreement.

"Which is why tonight, Sonny, we're taking you out." Chloe's eyes sparkled with excitement. "That's right, tonight, you're going to your first PPH par-tay!"

Allison didn't say anything.

"Don't go overboard with excitement or anything." Shelby cackled. "The most popular girls invite you to the coolest party and you're not even kissing my feet."

"It's so exclusive only a few select people can get in." Riley added, popping open her Diet Coke.

"Shut it, Shelby." Lisa rolled her eyes at the platinum blonde.

"Sorry." Allison blushed. "I was just gonna use tonight to catch up on missing work."

"On a Friday?" Riley wrinkled her nose. "Even _I _don't work that hard, and you're talking to the girl who got into Harvard when she was a freshman."

"Listen, Sonny." Lisa towards her. "You deserve a break. You've been working really hard. Believe me, I know. I was a freshman before too."

"It's just one night out." Chloe added. "A fun party, full of hot guys, and dancing, and…"

"All right!" Allison said. "I'm in."

"Excellent." Lisa sat back and exchanged a smirk with Chloe. "Pick you up at 4. We need to take you shopping before your first PPH party."

Uh-oh. House had texted her last period to tell her that their first tutoring session would be today at 4. "Umm…about that…." Allison began awkwardly.

"Ugh." Shelby groaned. She seemed to have a real dislike for freshman, or maybe just Allison. "Don't tell me you're backing out. Lame ass."

"No, it's just that I have to meet my tutor at 4…" Allison stammered.

"Tutor? Who?" Chloe asked, interested.

"House."

Instantly, the friendly expressions on the girls' faces faded and were replaced by something that could only be described as pure disgust.

"_House _is your tutor?" Chloe wrinkled her nose. "Ugh."

"He's such a fucking loser." Shelby commented, still texting away. "Always playing on that Game Boy like he's so cool."

"He's smarter than me." Riley complained. "I hate that."

"I bet he's gay." Chloe mused.

Lisa remained silent. Allison could tell that the beautiful senior had turned momentarily pale.

"Sonny, since you're a freshman, you probably don't know better, so we're telling you now. You're a _cheerleader_, which automatically makes you of a higher status than 99% of PPH's population. You definitely cannot be seen with the likes of Greg House."

"But my teacher assigned…" Allison protested, but it was futile.

"No buts." Lisa snapped. "Riley can tutor you, right?" She turned towards her friend, who nodded emphatically.

"Right!" Riley's eyes shined with excitement. "I know everything."

Lisa nodded. "Never, ever mention the word _House _in front of us. Never. You are to tell him that you will be needing his tutoring services." Her expression grew dark. "Is that understood?"

Allison nodded, her eyes wide. She didn't really get it, but she didn't want to risk pissing them off. She made a mental note to text House later.

"Good." Lisa smiled, turning back to her salad.

"So, Sonny, any hot guys?" Chloe asked eagerly.

"That's her favorite subject." Shelby chortled.

"Um, not really." Allison decided against bringing up Chase and his shameless flirting, since he _was _Lisa's boyfriend and she didn't need to invoke the wrath of the beautiful senior.

"Yeah right." Chloe said. "I know that face. You just don't want to tell."

"She really does know it." Riley commented. "It's the only subject she truly knows. Guys."

"C'mon, who do you like?" Chloe insisted. "I'm dying for some Cupid action!"

"Tell. Now." Shelby practically threatened.

"I don't really like anyone," Allison began. The Chase situation _had _been bugging her, and maybe she could get tips from the very obviously experienced seniors on how to deal with it. "But there's this guy who keeps flirting with me, and it's getting really annoying."

"Don't tell me it's House." Lisa interrupted.

"No, not that." Allison said. She swallowed, hard. "It's, um Chase…" She looked down, not wanting to see what she knew would be very angry expressions on the girl's faces.

But to her surprise, they weren't angry at all. In fact, they started laughing.

"Chase." Shelby snickered. "Don't worry, Sonny, he's just a flirt."

"B-but he keeps bugging me." Allison stammered. Why the hell were they laughing? "He's your _boyfriend_, Lisa."

"So?" Lisa looked bored. In fact, she seemed to be entirely unbothered as she continued to examine her manicure. "It's not illegal to flirt. A little jealousy can spice up a relationship."

"You should feel honored to have a senior flirt with you." Riley pointed out.

"True dat." Chloe pointed her fork at her friend.

"But if it bugs you that much, just slap him or something. Knock his ego down to size. That always works." Shelby said, suddenly serious. "At least for me."

"So you're not mad?"

"Course not. We love and trust each other." Lisa said. "Relax, Sonny."

The use of the word love made Allison feel very nauseous. "I don't get it. Why are you being so nice?"

"Us? We're always nice." Riley put a hand to her chest, fake offended.

"I meant that a whole lunch period has gone by and you haven't made me do a single chore since I got here."

"Consider that hazing." Lisa put her arm around the younger girl. "You're one of us now, Sonny."

**Author's note: So what do u think'll happen at the party? Please REVIEW!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note: Thank you soooo much for all the reviews! Should really be studying for finals instead of writing. Oh well. You're welcome **

Chapter 8

Surrounded. Allison was literally surrounded by piles upon piles of clothes. The second they'd arrived at the mall, Lisa and the others started piling huge stacks of clothes into the arms and trying everything on as if there's no tomorrow. She'd gone shopping with Savanna many times, of course, but they'd never been to such amazing stores before.

"Here." Lisa shoved a huge pile of clothes into Allison's skinny arms. "Go try these on."

Although Allison was exhausted, she happily obeyed. She pulled on the first top, luxuriating in its silkiness. Pairing it with a black miniskirt and stilettos, she stepped tentatively out of the fitting room.

"Damn…" Riley wolf whistled as Allison approached them.

"What do you think?" She asked shyly. Shelby and Chloe stood up and circled her, admiring their handiwork.

"You look amazing!" Chloe clapped her hands together.

"I feel like this top is too low cut though." Allison looked down worriedly at the dark red top. It looked exactly what Lisa would wear.

"Live a little, Sonny." Lisa said from where she was perched on a couch, glued to her phone. "You look like my mini me." She said approvingly. "I like it."

"Now time for hair and makeup!" Chloe said excitedly. "Back to my house!"

As Allison headed back into the fitting room to get her stuff, she surreptitiously checked her phone for the fifteenth time to see if House texted back. No luck. She'd texted him over an hour ago to say that he wouldn't need to tutor her anymore.

"Sonny, let's go!" Lisa called over her shoulder. "We're burning daylight!"

Back at Chloe's house, the girls sat Allison down in front of the huge vanity mirror in Chloe's bedroom. "Time to let your hair down. Literally." Shelby snickered as she took out the elastic in Allison's hair.

"You have such pretty hair." Riley cooed as she began to comb it out.

"Thanks." Allison said as she stared at her anxious reflection in the mirror. She wished she could check her cell again, but it was in her bag on Chloe's bed.

"Don't you guys have to do your makeup and stuff?" Allison asked, hoping to buy some time in hopes that she could go retrieve her phone.

"Nah." Lisa waved her hand dismissively. "We look fab enough already. Besides, it's all about you right now!"

"That's right." Chloe agreed. "This is your reward for surviving all of our hazing."

"Everyone else has cracked. But not you." Shelby added, being nice for once.

"Which means you truly deserve to be friends with us." Riley finished.

Allison's insides flooded with warmth, and she momentarily forgot all about House. "Awww…"

"Ok, so what hairstyle are we gonna do, O Fearless Leader?" Chloe turned to Lisa, who was glued to her phone yet again. "Lee?"

"Huh?" Lisa looked up, startled. Allison, who'd always prided herself on reading people, could tell that whoever Lisa was texting was important, due to the brunette's slightly flushed cheeks. _Probably Chase_. Allison thought bitterly. She took a deep breath, trying to rid herself of these thoughts. Lisa was her friend now. She could _not _be harboring a crush on her boyfriend.

"Hairstyle. Sonny." Shelby snapped her fingers in front of Lisa's face.

"Oh, um…" Lisa's phone vibrated and she looked down, already distracted. "Just simple curls, I guess. Like mine."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "She's been glued to her phone recently." She muttered to a wide eyed Allison. "Always giggling and shit when she's texting. She says it's Chase, but personally I don't think so." Chloe reached into a drawer and grabbed a curling iron. "Never see them together anymore."

Allison just listened as Chloe continued her spiel. Behind her, Lisa was splayed out on Chloe's enormous bed, oblivious to everything going on. Shelby and Riley were touching up their makeup in front of another mirror, swinging their hips to a Lady Gaga song on the radio.

"Hold still." Chloe said as she picked up a silver eye pencil. "I don't understand why you don't wear makeup. You have really pretty eyes."

"Thanks." Allison blushed. Chloe was one of the prettiest girls at PPH, so it was a true compliment.

"A little bit more lip gloss, I think." Shelby muttered as she stared at Allison's face. Allison stared at a random point on the wall, feeling a bit unnerved. She wasn't used to so many people just blatantly staring at her face.

"And…done! Voila!" Chloe spun the chair around so Allison was facing the mirror. "Take a look."

Allison stared at her face in the mirror. It was her, all right, but at the same time it wasn't. Her hair fell down towards her shoulders in soft waves. It seemed unreal that Chloe and her curling iron could turn her sloppy undo into such beautiful curls. Her naturally red lips shined, and her green eyes were enhanced with black mascara and silver liner. Her skin glowed in all the right places. In other words, she didn't look like a scared little freshman anymore. In fact, she kind of looked like Lisa. She looked like one of _them, _like she truly deserved to be friends with Lisa, Chloe, Shelby, and Riley.

"Like it don't ya?" Chloe smiled excitedly. "Me and my makeup brushes, we can work miracles."

"She's not kidding." Shelby fastened her hoop earrings. "That and guys are the only things she's good at."

"Ready?" Lisa said, finally tucking her phone into her pocket.

"Yep!" Chloe stood up and grabbed her bag.

"Let's go!" Lisa said, striding purposefully towards the door. "Time for your first PPH party, Sonny."

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

"Wow." Allison stared up at the huge stone mansion before her. "Just wow."

"Right?" Lisa said smugly as she circled around, looking for a parking spot. "It's Chase's place."

"He's like super rich, his dad's never home, and his stepmother doesn't care what he does. Hence, crazy wild parties every month that last till 5 am the next day." Riley added.

They got out of the car, Allison only teetering slightly in her boots. All around, people were openly gawking at the sight of her walking up to the front door alongside the most popular seniors at PPH. She heard whispers everywhere, people wondering why she, a mere freshman, was with them. It was obvious that this was an exclusive party, open only to the most popular and powerful upperclassmen. Suddenly, she wished she hadn't worn something quite so revealing.

The second they got inside, Lisa cast a quick look at her iPhone and disappeared upstairs without another word.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "There she goes again."

"What?" Allison said, staring at the retreating form of Lisa Cuddy. She weaved effortlessly through the crowd and was gone.

"She always does this." Riley explained, sidling up to the wide eyed freshman. "Every single party, she just _goes _upstairs without any explanation."

"Bitch." Shelby muttered, grabbing four champagne flutes off a nearby table. "But whatever, that means more for us!"

Allison stared hesitantly at the fizzing champagne. "Umm…"

"Drink up!" Chloe raised her flute, and others followed suit. "To Sonny! The best freshman cheerleader we've seen in a long time." It was clear that she was already drunk.

They all drank, and Allison did so as well. She was instantly taken aback. It was easily the best thing she'd ever tasted. Without meaning to, she drained her glass.

"C'mon!" Chloe grabbed Allison's hand. "Let's dance!"

They joined the huge group of people, who were dancing in what looked like a really nice living room. For once in her life, Allison just let her guard down and just let the music seep into her bones, erasing the stress of her several months of high school. She forgot all about House, Chase, and her failing grades.

Shelby and Riley disappeared, their faces shiny with sweat, saying that they were off to get drinks. They returned soon after with several red plastic cups. An hour or two passed by in a blur of dancing, beer (which tasted foul at first but got steadily better as the amount Allison tossed back increased), and more dancing. She briefly remembered making out with some junior who looked strangely like Shelby (turned out it was Hunter, Shelby's younger brother) for a while, until Chloe dragged her back onto the dance floor. Strangely, Lisa never reappeared. Allison lost all track of time as she lost herself to the heavy bass.

Exhausted, she stumbled off the dance floor. Her head was pounding in time to the music, and she was dangerously close to vomiting. She staggered around bleary eyed until she finally collapsed on a leather couch in what looked like the den. At least it was empty. The room was spinning so fast everything was blurry. At one point she saw someone who looked vaguely like House cross the room. She shook her head. House wouldn't go to a party like this. She was drunker than she'd thought.

_Water. I need water_. But she was too disoriented to get off the couch. However she couldn't just sit here, for she knew she'd puke all over Chase's carpet. She lurched off the couch and stumbled down the hall, holding onto the walls for support.

Thankfully, the kitchen was empty as well. She looked around for a clean looking cup, since every cup in her vicinity stunk of beer. Spotting a glass, she reached for it with shaky hands and turned towards the sink. The clear sploosh of the water in the glass seemed to clear her head a bit, but it did nothing to ease her nausea. Allison leaned against the counter, slowly sipping as she gazed around her surroundings. The vast kitchen had top of the line appliances, and everything gleamed. It looked like a chef's dream kitchen, despite the messes everywhere.

Just then, Chase walked in. It was clear by his red cheeks and messy hair that he'd been busy. He didn't seem to notice her as he crossed the room towards the fridge. Quickly, so he wouldn't see her messy hair and smudged makeup, she ducked behind the island counter.

She listened as he opened the fridge and took out what sounded like clinking bottles of beer. It seemed as though he was taking forever, probably due to the sheer size of the fridge.

_Please leave, please leave, please leave._ Allison prayed to herself. Her increasing nausea, coupled with the fact that it was _way_ past midnight, meant she had to get home ASAP. Allison listened for his footsteps, hoping he would just hurry the hell up and leave. She couldn't exit the kitchen without alerting him to her presence.

An eternity seemed to past. It sounded as though Chase was still standing in front of the fridge. What the hell was taking so long? Slowly, she peeked around the side of the island to see what exactly he was doing.

"What are you doing behind there?" An amused voice came from behind.

Startled, Allison bumped her head on the island, while simultaneously dropping her water glass on the tiled floor, where it shattered to pieces.

"Ouch!" She slowly straightened. "What the hell?"

Chase took a step back, his hands up in surrender. "You were the one back there in the first place."

"Son of a bitch." Allison muttered as she backed away from him. She could feel a bump forming on her head. "Sorry about the glass."

"Its fine…hey, you're bleeding." Chase grabbed her hand. Sure enough, there was a small but deep cut on her right palm.

"It's fine." Allison said. The last thing she needed was his niceness.

"No, it's not." Chase said worriedly. "Wait here, I'll go and get a Band-Aid."

"Don't bother." Allison said, trying to sidestep him, but she was so drunk she only succeeded in stumbling sideways. "Lemmee juss go home…" she slurred.

"Who did you come with?" He asked. His concern only served to piss her off further.

"None of your business." She tried to step around him but he blocked her way. "I can walk." Like hell she was gonna let him drive her home. It would only send mixed signals. Although Lisa hadn't seemed bothered by Chase's flirtiness, Allison figured that Lisa wouldn't take kindly to this.

"Well I can't just let you go off by yourself in the dark. It's the middle of the night. And you're drunk."

"Why do you care?" Her hand and head throbbed in time with the heavy bass in the background.

"Cuz you're a guest, and, I don't know…" He trailed off, looking around awkwardly. He blew his bangs out of his face. "Look, just let me drive you home." He insisted.

Allison rolled her eyes. She'd had enough of Chase for one night. She made one last attempt to shove him aside, but that's when it happened. Allison stumbled sideways, and felt a rush of vomit coming up as the world began to spin once again. The last thing she saw before blacking out was Chase leaping forward to catch her as she hit the ground, hard, the blood from her palm intermingling with the yellow pool of vomit on the tiled ground.

**Author's note: Please review! They only help me write faster, which means faster updates :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note: I realized that in the previous ch, I forgot to mention that House has a limp and walks with a cane, just like in the show. And yes, he's addicted to Vicodin. Seems trivial, but trust me, this piece of info is vital to the next few chapters...**

Chapter 9

The first things Allison felt the next morning were her splitting headache and nausea. Her mouth was so dry it felt like the Sahara Desert. She looked around the room, her eyes adjusting to the light. Squinting, she took in her surroundings, noting the familiar white furniture and posters on the yellow walls. Yep, she was in her room all right.

How the hell had she gotten home last night? The last thing Allison remembered was being in Chase's kitchen._ Chase. Oh God._ Allison thought as the realization hit her. _Chase_. She remembered Chase's insistence on driving her home, and her constant refusal. How she'd drunkenly stumbled and blacked out. He must have driven her home, and by the looks of it, took off her shoes and tucked her into bed. Allison looked down, and sure enough, her injured hand was bandaged. Briefly, she felt a stab of guilt for the way she'd treated Chase.

She reached to her side and groped blindly for her phone. Judging by the light streaming through the curtains, it was late, well past the time she usually got up on weekends. Yep. It was already noon. She had several texts from the girls, mostly them asking if she got home ok, and asking if she wanted to go to another party that night.

_Yeah right. _Allison thought as she texted back an excuse. She briefly noticed that someone had thoughtfully placed a bottle of water and Advil on the nightstand. Probably Chase. Damn him. There was a note under the water as well.

_Drink plenty of fluids and stick to bland foods. Caffeine helps too._

_-Chase_

_PS: You're welcome _

Just then, her phone beeped with an incoming text. From House. Her heart started to pound as she clicked read. It simply said: Riley doesn't know jackshit. You, me, library, today at 4. No exceptions.

Allison fell back against the pillows, groaning. Great. She had 3 hours to get over her very first hangover and make herself look presentable to meet a guy her new friends clearly disapproved of. She knew she would regret this, but she just couldn't say no to House.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

"You're late." House said coldly as Allison practically ran into the library. It was 4:15.

"Sorry." She said breathlessly, putting her bag down onto the chair opposite House.

"You look worse than usual." House commented as she rifled in her bag for her notebook. "What's with the specs? I'm no expert, but the sun doesn't usually shine indoors. Especially when the blinds are closed."

Allison winced at his loud voice, but said nothing. She didn't want to tell him that it was partly due to her hangover, and partly due to the fact that she didn't want to be recognized.

"Good Lord, Cameron." He said loudly, causing everyone around them to stare. "Didn't your mother tell you to brush your hair? God, you look terrible."

"Shut up." Allison snapped, her face flaming.

"My, my, someone's a little bitchy. What's wrong got up on the wrong side of the bed? Or no wait, did poor little Cameron get completely trashed at a party last night?" He said, throwing back a couple of pills.

"That's enough." She said tightly. "Look, you're the one who told me to come."

"Cuz _you're_ the one who needs tutoring. Not me. I could be at home right now, watching General Hospital, but nooooo, I'm stuck here tutoring a whiny little brat." House said melodramatically.

"I didn't ask you…"

"No, you didn't. I'm just doing this out of the kindness of my heart." House retorted, clutching at his heart in faux humbleness. "That's right. Ladies and gentlemen, Greg House is just that nice." He turned around and announced it to everyone around them.

Allison bit back a smile. Despite her crappy mood, there was just something about House that was so endearing.

"Made you smile." House said, amused. "Took you long enough. I thought I'd have to start twirling batons or something."

"Whatever." Allison fought to keep a straight face. "Let's just get to work."

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

They finished around 7, when the library was about to close. Surprisingly, House was a good teacher, once you got over his snarkiness and constant use of ridiculous metaphors. He had this penchant for listing out things on a whiteboard, which Allison found very helpful.

"Thanks." Allison said, zipping up her bag. She couldn't believe it was already over, for she wanted to spend more time with him.

House nodded as he collected his papers and turned to leave without a word, step-thumping towards the door.

"You didn't have to do this, you know." Allison called after him. He stopped walking.

"Yes, I did…" House began, but was cut off.

"No, you didn't. I could've asked Riley for help."

"I told you, Riley's stupider than her bubble brain friend Chloe." House retorted.

"That's mean." Allison snickered against her will. House had a point. Chloe really wasn't the sharpest pencil in the box. "I meant that it's Saturday, and you probably have better things to do than tutor a freshman."

"Not really." House shrugged. "I mean, porn's not nearly as interesting as you are."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't you have any friends? A girlfriend?" She said that last bit mostly out of self interest.

House's face darkened. He was silent. "No." He said after a long moment. "I don't."

Allison studied him carefully. She had this feeling that he was lying, but she couldn't tell what. Allison could tell that behind the sarcasm was a nothing more than a lonely, sad guy who was in pain.

"I'm sorry." She said, fully meaning it.

"Yeah. You should be." House joked as he started towards the door. "You coming?" He called over his shoulder.

"Where?" Allison hurried to catch up with him.

"My bike."

_He rides a motorcycle with a cane?_

"Oh, I don't need a ride." Allison said, her face flaming. What was with guys and insisting to drive her home? "I don't live that far."

"I know." House said simply as he tossed her a helmet. "I'm just that nice."

**Author's note: For those of you who wanted to see Wilson, he's coming up in the next ch...**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"How was your weekend, Sonny?" Chloe asked Monday at lunch. It was a surprisingly nice day, so they were eating outside. "I mean, besides the massive hangover."

"Fine." Allison said blithely, picking at her salad.

"Just fine?" Shelby asked suspiciously. For a second, Allison's heart was gripped with terror. What if they'd somehow found out about House?

"Yep. Just did homework and slept." Allison kept her eyes down. Luckily Lisa, who was very good at reading body language, was gone. She'd left at the beginning of lunch, muttering something about asking a teacher for help.

"I thought you needed help with stuff." Riley commented.

"No. I, uh, got my neighbor to help." Allison lied, hoping they couldn't hear her pounding heart.

"Well that's good." Riley said. "Cuz I was super busy with…"

Allison tried to relax as Riley launched into a tale about everything she did on Sunday. _Calm down. _She scolded herself. _There's no way they know about House, and if you keep acting this way they'll know something's up._

Riley had a tendency to talk way too fast for anyone to follow, so Allison merely pretended to listen while her eyes wandered around. She briefly wondered where House was. He usually sat alone in the cafeteria, but she hadn't seen him on her way out of the lunch line. Just then, something bright caught her eye in the otherwise dull landscape of the school. It was a bright yellow flyer, taped to a window. Figuring that the others wouldn't care, Allison stepped up to the window and grabbed the flyer, bringing it back to the table. The flyer simply read in big, bold letters: _PPH's Annual Anti-Drug Assembly, this Fri 9/28 in the Performing Arts Center. Attendance is mandatory!_

"An anti-drug assembly?" Allison read off the flyer, snorting. "What the hell?" She wondered if House had seen this and what his reaction would be to this ridiculousness. Knowing him, he would probably have a good laugh over this.

"Watcha looking at?" Riley leaned over, her story abandoned. "Oh." She said, wrinkling her button nose. "Ew."

"That's so stupid." Shelby quipped.

"I bet they're gonna mention the Wilson thing again. Ugh." Chloe groaned, and then covered her mouth. "Oops."

"Who's Wilson?" Allison cast the flyer aside. To her surprise, they'd all gone pale. Chloe's normally perfect complexion had gone ashen as she stared at the flyer, while Shelby gripped her phone so hard her knuckles had gone white. Riley grew somber. The seniors exchanged looks.

"God, Chloe. You're so stupid!" Shelby muttered as Chloe looked down.

"What's wrong?" Allison asked, confused.

"Nothing." Riley said tightly.

''Everything's fine." Shelby added.

"I'm so confused." Allison said.

"Shocker." Shelby snapped, cracking her gum.

"Everything's fine." Chloe echoed. "Just go back to eating." She forced a smile.

Allison obeyed, but her thoughts were whirling. Who was Wilson and why had the mere mention of his/her name got such a strange reaction out of them?

**Author's note: Sorry for the shorter ch, but I've been super busy w school. Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The rest of the week passed by uneventfully. Allison had all but forgotten about Wilson. She'd been meaning to bring it up again, maybe ask Chloe, who was the nicest, but cheer practice and schoolwork had kept her so busy she barely had time to sleep, let alone think of clever ways to coax the story out of the bubbly blonde.

"Everyone please file to the performing arts center now for the assembly." Came a voice over the intercom at the beginning of seventh period. All around her, people cheered, for an assembly meant missing all of class. Allison followed her classmates to the theater, searching for Savanna, whom she'd barely seen in days.

"Sonny! Over here!" Came a loud, bossy voice. Shelby. She, Chloe, and Riley were sitting at the very back row of the theater in the senior section.

Allison hesitated, for she'd just located her best friends and they were all supposed to sit by class, but who was she to contradict the most powerful seniors at PPH? She threw Savanna a sorry look, pushed back a throng of sophomores struggling to find seats and headed up the carpeted stairs to where they'd saved her a seat between Shelby and Chloe.

"Hey!" She said, plopping down next to Shelby. She looked around. "Where's Lisa?"

"Don't know." Riley answered from the end of the row. "She's been doing this a lot."

Allison could see the entire theater from her seat. She looked around for House, trying not to make it too obvious. As she'd expected, House was absent.

The lights darkened. "Quiet down, students." Said the stern voice of PPH's principal, Vogler. A video started, entitled _The Dangers of Alcohol and Drugs_. Allison immediately tuned out; this wasn't stuff she didn't already know, thanks to health class and her parents. Around her, she could see everyone else doing the same thing. Chloe and Shelby laughed over something on Shelby's phone, while Riley buried her face in a book.

Half an hour later, the video was over and the lights came back on. Everyone stood up and stretched, preparing to go, but then Vogler came back up to the podium onstage.

"Everyone settle down, the assembly's not over yet." He announced. People sat back down, groaning about how much they wanted to leave. Allison sympathized, for it was Friday and all she wanted to do was go home and take a nap before the game tonight.

"This year, in addition to the lovely video, we have an additional presentation to further reinforce the dangers of drugs and alcohol." He said, glaring at the group of senior guys who were booing loudly. Allison spotted Chase's familiar blond hair and felt her heart start to pound. She forced herself to listen to the principal.

"Two years ago, one of PPH's shining stars was killed in a tragic accident due to the influence of drugs and/or alcohol." Vogler started. "James Wilson."

Everyone groaned. "Not this again." Someone groused from the row below Allison's.

"They already yakked about this two years ago." A junior rolled her eyes.

At the sound of Wilson's name, Allison immediately snapped to attention, her heart pounding with a renewed purpose. Maybe she'd finally get some answers about this mysterious Wilson.

"Wilson was one of PPH's finest. Class president, honor roll, you name it. He was on track to attend one of this country's most elite universities." Vogler continued. A slide show clicked on. A picture of a boyishly handsome guy appeared on the screen.

"Unfortunately, his life was abruptly cut short one night during his sophomore year." The slide show clicked to a different picture of Wilson, one of him surrounded by girls. "He was at a party, where toxic substances were undoubtedly present. After the party, he was going home on the motorcycle of a friend who was intoxicated."

Allison snuck a peek at Chloe, Shelby, and Riley. They merely looked bored, a stark contrast to Monday. "They crashed into an incoming truck." Vogler paused for dramatic effect. "Wilson was killed instantly."

Suddenly, Allison heard sniffles coming from her left. It was Chloe, who was dabbing at her eyes with a Kleenex. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Riley elbow her.

"Get a grip!" Riley hissed.

_No wonder they reacted so strangely_. Allison thought. _Wilson was probably one of their best friends. But why keep try and keep it a secret from me?_

"This illustrates the severity of the danger of such toxic substances. As a school, we honor Wilson's memory by taking a firm stance against alcohol and drugs. His death serves a reminder of the consequences. As a reminder, drugs and alcohol are not tolerated. Any student found to be in possession will face immediate expulsion. No ifs, ands, or buts. And certainly no exceptions. That is all." He left the podium.

"Buzzkill." Shelby rolled her eyes as she stood up and stretched. "Like that's gonna stop us."

"Hey, what'd I miss?" Lisa said breathlessly. Her perfect curls were messed and her shirt was wrinkled.

"Nothing much." Riley closed her book. "Just the usual."

"I see they've brought the Wilson thing back." Lisa noted. "Leave it to Vogler to try and scare us."

"Where have you been?" Chloe asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I, uh…" Lisa blushed. "Chase."

The others nodded in understanding, but Allison's eyes narrowed to a certain blond head towards the exit. Chase had been there the entire time, so where had Lisa gone?

**Author's note: I know, Wilson's dead. But instead of him being a minor character, I wanted his death to have a strong impact on all the characters. And trust me, it does/will. So please review! It only helps me write faster! **


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 (several weeks later)

Beep. Allison's phone beeped with an incoming text. Casting a look to see if Lisa was watching (the brunette hated it when the cheerleaders were on their phones during games), she peeked down at the text. Her heart started to pound loudly. It was from House: _You, me, library, Saturday. _

Allison stifled a grin as she tucked her phone away. Their Saturday tutoring sessions were becoming a regular thing, something she eagerly looked forward to every week.

"Whooo! Gooooo eagles!" Riley screamed, waving her pom poms as Chase raced up the field. Chase looked up and blew a kiss at his admirers. Allison rolled her eyes. He was such a flirt. Suddenly, he locked eyes with her and slowly winked, causing her to nearly stop breathing. She had to control the urge to smile back. _Chase is Lisa's boyfriend._ She sternly reminded herself. _Save the flirting for House_.

House. Suddenly, her insides were flooded with warmth as she thought about her Anatomy and Physiology class that day. The teacher had left him in charge again, which basically meant that House and Allison worked on House's homework while the rest of the class did whatever they want. Allison started zoning out, recalling the scintillating conversation they'd had:

"_Differential diagnosis for aphasia and seizures_." _House had written on the whiteboard. _

"_We're supposed to be working on…" Allison started, a wry smile forming on her lips. This was part of their routine. Every time the teacher left House in charge, House would force her to work on his homework (which were usually differential diagnosis's), and she would complain that they were supposed to be studying something else._ _Every time._

"_Um, who's in charge here?" House snapped, his blue eyes glittering with excitement. It was the closest thing to happy Allison had ever seen him. _

_Allison bit back a smile. "You."_

"_That's right. Now, differential diagnosis for aphasia and seizures." He repeated impatiently, limp-pacing around the room. _

"_That's too hard." Allison protested. _

"_Is not." House retorted. "I've taught you enough."_

"_Umm…" Allison twirled her pen. _

"_What tests would you run?" House asked in an attempt to give her a hint._

"_MRI to check for lesions." Allison said immediately. By now, she knew that off the top of her head._

"_Good." House nodded. "During the MRI, the patient's throat closes up and she begins to go blind. What's next?"_

"_I don't know!" Allison snapped. This was way too hard. Yes, House had been giving her harder and harder cases each week because he believed that this would help "train her mind" and "hone in on her skills", but it didn't mean she was a doctor. She was supposed to be learning about the kidney, not diagnosing fake patients! _

"_Think, Cameron. Think." House urged, step-thumping around the room._

_Allison closed her eyes. Behind her, she could hear the sounds of her classmates talking excitedly about their weekend plans, and here she was, stuck doing House's homework, If only he wasn't so damn intriguing. _

"_I'll give you a hint." House said. "When checking the house for toxins, ham was found in the fridge. What does that point to?_

"_I don't know. That she's poisoning her body with nitrates?" _

"_Clever. But no." _

"_Aphasia, seizures, trouble breathing, blindness, and ham." House repeated. _

_Allison recited the list of symptoms and clues in her mind. They seemed vaguely familiar, like something House had told her or she'd read online. Then, her mind clicked as she remembered the conversation she and House had had last week at the library. _

"_Tapeworm!" She practically shouted._

_And for the first time ever, House smiled. It was something Allison would never forget._ _For the first time ever, House looked happy, as he stared down at her with his electric blue eyes. _

"Sonny!" Lisa snapped her fingers in front of Allison's face, effectively breaking her thoughts. "It's almost halftime. Time to get ready for the show!"

"Sorry." Allison said, tightening her ponytail.

"Stay focused." Lisa advised as they got into position. "This is probably the hardest routine you'll ever have to do in your entire career as a cheerleader, and you can't afford to drift off."

"Right." Allison nodded. But even as she danced and cheered in time with Lisa and the others, her mind was still on House and the way her tummy had filled with butterflies as he'd looked at her with a mixture of pride, intrigue, and what seemed like the slightest hint of attraction.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

Allison looked at the clock. 3:00. She had an hour before tutoring. Deciding to get an early start, she grabbed her bag, being sure to grab her sunglasses and baseball cap. Maybe she could take a walk before and enjoy the nice day. Before leaving the house, she decided it would be nice to bring coffee for House again. She'd done that several weeks ago and House had commented that she made the best damn coffee in Princeton. Even though she was out of coffee beans, she figured it would be a nice gesture anyway.

She walked to Starbucks and placed her order, standing off to the side to wait. Such a nice day. She was contemplating taking a picture of the trees and sending it to Savanna, who loved painting nature scenes, when she felt someone behind her.

"So, I never got a thank you for the other night." Said a very familiar accent.

Allison whirled around. As she'd expected, it was Chase.

"What are you doing here?"

He looked amused. "Same as everyone else. Getting coffee."

"I mean, why did you sneak up on me?"

He leaned in real close. Allison could feel his breath on her neck. "I have a thing for hot freshman cheerleaders."

Allison rolled her eyes, but she had to admit that Chase's blatant flirting felt nice. "Stop." She pushed him away.

He straightened. "Where are you going with those?" He noted the heavy stack of books in her arms.

"Tutoring."

"With…?"

"None of your business." She couldn't tell anyone about House.

He nodded. They just stood there awkwardly, waiting for their coffee.

"Two lattes!" Called the barista.

Allison stepped up and grabbed her coffees. But because she loved to fall in front of Chase, she slipped in a puddle of spilled coffee. Just before her coffees hit the ground, Chase caught them.

"Careful." He said.

"Thanks." She said, her face flushed with embarrassment. _I've got to quit doing that_.

"Yep. No problem." He said.

There was another silence.

"Why are you so nice?" Allison said finally. "I mean, all I do is stomp on your foot and tell you to go away, and you're still so nice. If it were me, I woulda let you fall."

Chase shrugged. "I dunno."

"Why do you keep flirting?" She asked the one question that had been burning in the back of her mind since the first day of school. "I know you're a 'friendly guy' or whatever, but you don't flirt with others half as much as you flirt with me."

"You watch me?" Chase asked, amused.

"I, well, not the point here!" Allison stammered, flustered.

"I do believe it is." Chase grinned adorably. "As much as you try to tell yourself otherwise, you, Allison Cameron, _like_ me."

"No I don't." She said quickly.

"Then if I kiss you you'll tell me that you feel nothing?"

"Absolutely." Allison nodded firmly. Within seconds, she felt his lips on hers. Almost immediately, Allison lost all sense of where she was and the potential risks. All she was aware of was how good it felt to finally be doing something she'd fantasized about for months. She forgot that she was Allison Cameron, good girl, and she was in a public place, back pressed against the wall, making out with a hot guy. In that moment all that mattered was Chase's hands tangled in her hair, his lips on hers, and how _right_ this felt.

Suddenly, she realized what she was doing. Gasping for air, she pushed him away.

"What are you doing?" She gaped at him. "You're dating one of my best friends!"

He raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, you asked for it."

Without thinking, Allison slapped him. Hard. "You're despicable." She hissed.

As she stalked outta there, it occurred to her that she hadn't felt "nothing". In fact, it had been the opposite of nothing.

Just then, her phone beeped. A text from House. Allison clicked read, hoping that it wasn't him canceling. Tutoring was like the only thing she had to look forward to these days, and she needed a distraction from Chase. The annual tri-state area cheer competition was coming up, and Lisa was growing more and more edgy with each passing day, snapping at everyone. It was a good thing she was gone practically every day at lunch.

_Change of plans. Hooker ended early, so come over to my place. Too lazy to go to library._

Allison nearly dropped her phone on the counter. Go over to House's place? Her heart started pounding. She'd never been to any guy's house before, let alone the house of the most notorious guy at school. Despite the fact that House would mock her relentlessly for this, she started to text back that she'd rather meet him at the library. But then a thought crossed her mind. House, who was very well known for being extremely secretive, was inviting her over into his home. His private sanctuary. That meant that he was inviting her into his world, that he was letting her in.

Allison deleted her text and grabbed her keys. There was no way she was gonna miss this opportunity to get to know House better.

**Author's note: Yes, I took the case from the episode Pilot, which I don't own.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Allison looked down at her phone, being sure to not drop the two cups of coffee in her hands. Yep. This was the right address. Taking a deep breath, she tightened her high ponytail. _Here goes nothing._ She was about to knock on the raise the knocker, but then noticed that the door was already unlocked. Gingerly, she pushed the door open and stepped inside the apartment.

It was sparsely furnished, and the walls were covered with army medals and stiff, formal looking photographs. In other words, it was cold and unfriendly; hardly the place Allison expected House to live in. For someone who wore a lot of concert tees, this place bore no clues to the fact that House lived here.

"House?" She called, expecting a grunt of acknowledgement, but all was silent.

She sat down on the couch (which was as hard and uncomfortable as it looked) and waited for him to show up. Five minutes passed, and then ten, but there was still no sign of House.

_What the hell?_ She thought, looking around anxiously. _Oh my God, what if he's a crazy psycho axe murderer and invited me over to kill me?_ But her instincts told her that no matter how abrasive House was at school, he wasn't that type of person.

"House?" She called again, but there was still no reply. Allison pushed herself to her feet and peeked into the kitchen, but it was empty. She tiptoed around, looking in a bathroom. Nope. She crept silently down the hall, hoping House wouldn't show up and scare her. She peeked in what appeared to be the master bedroom and an office, but nobody was there. She approached the last door, the only door that was closed. She could hear the sounds of an electric guitar emanating from behind the wooden door.

Her curiosity got the better of her, and she slowly pushed open the door. House, dressed in his usual wrinkled t-shirt and jeans, faced the window, his back to her, as he played air guitar in time with the loud music coming from a stereo. The walls were plastered with monster truck posters, more guitars, and pictures of jazz musicians. A TV was across from his bed, and there was a huge, messy stack of video games and what looked like soap opera DVDs next to the TV, in addition to various medical journals and physics textbooks. In other words, it was exactly the room Allison imagined House to have.

She stared at him, mesmerized. There was just something so incredibly sexy about a guy playing air guitar. No, scratch that. There was just something so incredibly sexy about _him._ As she watched him, she could see that the walls he'd built up around him were gone. It was just him. In that moment he was no longer miserable and cynical. He was purely House.

She turned to leave, for it seemed pretty rude to just invade in someone's personal territory. Besides, it looked like he was busy. Figuring she could leave a note, she started to leave the room.

"Yoohoo, Cameron, I'm right here." House said, still facing the window. Allison whirled around. How had he known that she was here? The music was so loud the whole room shook. "Like what you see?"

"Oh, I, um…"

He switched off the music and turned to face her, throwing back a couple white pills.

"Sorry. I can see you're busy, so I'll just…"

"Awww, is poor wittle Cameron scared to be in big, bad House's house of fun?" He mocked.

"No."

"Then pull out your books. I have a lot of homework for you to finish."

Allison rolled her eyes as she set down her bag and took a seat on the floor next to House. "Nice room." She commented.

He nodded. "Stark contrast to the rest of the place. I know."

"Let me guess. You're parents are in the military."

"My…dad." He said the last word with a sour look.

Allison knew right away that his father was a sore subject. She was dying to question him, but decided not to push it. "Cool." She, for lack of anything better to say.

"Yep. I was, up until three years ago, what you called an army brat. Lived all over the world. Egypt, Japan, the Philippines. And then that bastard decided he wanted to settle down and live a normal life with his perfect wife and then perfect son. Well, look at how well that turned out." He snorted.

Allison just stared at him. There was so much sadness in his eyes, and he looked so vulnerable. She could tell that there was definitely more to the story. He was so damaged, so broken. In that moment, all she wanted to do was take his pain away.

Slowly, she leaned over and kissed him. His lips were warm and soft, and her hands found themselves cupping over his face. She could feel him kissing back. This felt way better than the stupid spin the bottle kisses she'd had in middle school. It almost felt better than kissing Chase. But the kiss was over way too soon. He pushed away from her, looking down.

Allison's face burned with embarrassment. She wanted to kick herself for her stupidity. _What the hell was that? You don't just go and kiss a guy like that!_

She couldn't even look at him; she was that embarrassed. She couldn't even muster up a lame sorry. Her brain told her to run outta there as fast as possible but her feet refused to move. They just sat there in an awkward silence. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Finally, House broke the silence. "You kiss way better than my usual hooker, that's for sure. Ever thought of doing porn?" He quipped in an attempt to lighten the mood.

When he saw that she still wasn't saying anything, he sighed. "You don't like me."

Allison looked up. _What? _"Umm…" She stammered.

"You just think you do. I know your type. You live under the delusion that you can fix everything that isn't perfect. That's why you hang out with Savanna."

"She's my best…" she protested, but was cut off.

"Your little friend's fucked up in so many ways it's not even funny." He continued, ignoring her. "And now that you can't see Savanna anymore, you turned to me. I'm just your new charity case. I'm not great looking, I'm not charming, I'm not even nice. What I am is what you need. I'm damaged beyond repair."

Allison just stared at him. She could feel fifteen different retorts and protests forming themselves on her lips, but she stayed silent, for she knew that his ability to read people was uncanny, and in a way he was right about her. She'd sought out Savanna's friendship mainly because the other kids back in their elementary school had completely ostracized her.

"You know I'm right." He pushed himself up. Where was he going? Was he not gonna tutor her anymore? There was an awkward silence as Allison tried to think of something to say and failed. Just then, her eyes landed on a silver picture frame on House's desk. It was hidden behind a stack of textbooks and messy papers. Who hid a picture? She looked over at House's retreating form and crossed the room towards his desk and picked it up, blowing off the dust.

It looked like a photo of a younger looking House and someone else, someone who was obscured by the dust. She gasped inwardly as the dust settled and revealed the photo's contents.

It was Wilson.

**Author's note: Yes, I copied a lot of the Hameron conversation (like the part where House says Cameron likes to fix people) from the episode Love Hurts, which by the way I do not own. Please review! It lets me know what y'all think of the story so far and I'm always open to suggestions. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's note: Thanks for reading and reviewing! **

**hookedtohouse: what exactly did you mean by a personal diary? who's diary are we talking about here? if it's house's, i think it's a great idea! **

Chapter 14

Allison nearly dropped the picture in shock. House, the very definition of misery and outcast, had been friends with Wilson, who by Vogler's description, had been PPH's golden boy? There couldn't be a more unusual match. By the looks of the picture, House and Wilson had been good friends, best friends even. Wilson's arm was slung around House's and both were smiling. House even looked somewhat happy.

_No wonder House is so miserable_. _His best friend died._

Hadn't Wilson died in a motorcycle accident? Yet he hadn't seemed like the type to even own a motorcycle. She squinted at the picture. You could see in the background that there was a motorcycle that looked a lot like House's.

_Oh. My. God. _Allison felt sick as the realization hit her. Vogler had mentioned something about how Wilson had been on a motorcycle with a friend. What if that friend was House?

_House is responsible for his best friend's death?_

"Finally figured it out, haven't you?" House growled from in the doorway.

Allison dropped the photo, where it fell to the ground with a sickening crash. "Um, I…"

He limped into the room. "Well, there you have it. The truth." He dropped his cane on the floor. The sound made Allison jump. "I killed my best friend."

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation…" Allison began, but she was cut off.

"What _reasonable explanation_?" House snapped angrily. "There's no _reasonable explanation_. I was drunk and crashed into a truck. Wilson died while my leg got fucked up."

"I should've died. Wilson was the one everyone loved, and I was just someone everyone tolerated cuz of him." He muttered, more to himself. "Everyone blames me for Wilson's death. Even my own father couldn't look at me. He'd always preferred Wilson as his son."

"I'm sure that's not…" Allison tried to interject, but House wasn't even listening.

"I killed my best friend." House said. His face was twisted into an ugly sneer, and for the first time he looked exactly as dangerous as everyone thought he was. "I killed my best friend. He died a painful death while I merely became a cripple. I killed my best friend." He repeated.

Allison's blood ran cold at House's tone. He was grabbing fistfuls of his hair; he looked quite mad.

"Get out." House growled.

"What?" Allison breathed. There was no way she could just leave now, not after everything that happened.

"GET OUT!" House screeched. He grabbed the nearest object, a heavy textbook, and threw it at her. Allison ducked just in time, and the book bounced harmlessly against the wall.

"I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT!" He screamed, picking up random, more dangerous looking objects and proceeded to hurl them at her.

Allison didn't need to be told twice. Grabbing her bag, she ran out of there. The last thing she saw before leaving his place was House, standing in the middle of the wreckage, making sounds that sounded a lot like crying.

She didn't stop running until she was at least three blocks away from his apartment. Holding her sides, she leaned against a street light and tried to catch her breath.

What had happened back there? One moment House seemed almost like a normal person and the next he was kicking her out, throwing things at her like a madman. She knew he was very guilty about what had happened, but no sane person reacted that way.

_That's the thing_. Allison thought. _House isn't sane. He's insane. No wonder Lisa and the others warned me to stay away. They were just trying to protect me._

Everything made sense now. She now knew why everyone at school kept their distance from House and he was only mildly tolerated by the teachers, despite his talents. Allison squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the memory of House. Just then, she thought of something. If it was common knowledge that House was the reason Wilson died, why had the girls acted so strange when Chloe mentioned Wilson that day at lunch? Surely they'd known that she'd find out about Wilson sooner or later. Chloe and the others had seemed almost…guilty.

Allison knew that there was more to the whole Wilson story than that, and she was determined to figure it out.

**Author's note: Soooo what did you think? Please review! They only help me write faster. **


	15. Chapter 15

**hookedtohouse: i love ur idea! stay tuned for it to come to life in a future ch :)**

Chapter 15 (a week later)

Allison knew just the thing to do. She had to find out the truth to the Wilson story. After much thought, she decided the best approach was the get one of the girls alone, for together they'd never reveal anything. She knew that Chloe was the weakest link in their clique. But even Chloe was too clever to just spill her secrets. Allison had to get Chloe drunk, really drunk. And what better way to do that then to throw a party?

"Halloween party, huh?" Lisa (for some reason she was eating with them at lunch again) repeated one day at lunch. Allison had casually suggested the idea of throwing a Halloween-themed party for the holiday next week.

"Yep." Allison said. "I mean, it's been a while since the last party, and…"

"It's a good idea." Chloe piped up cheerfully. "I love parties."

Shelby snorted affectionately. "Oh, everyone knows that."

"I was thinking we could do it at my place…?" Allison crossed her fingers under the table. When Lisa looked at her suspiciously, she struggled to think of a good excuse. "Cuz you said your parents are throwing a party on Halloween and that we cheerleaders have to have essential skills such as throwing fabulous parties."

"I did say that, didn't I?" Lisa mused. "Ok, Sonny. You win. Party at your place next Wednesday."

"Ooohhh I wanna help with the decorations!" Chloe said.

"And I'll take care of drinks." Shelby started typing on her iPhone.

"We can go costume shopping after school today." Lisa said.

As the girls chattered excitedly, Allison marveled at how easily Lisa and the others had agreed to her idea of a party. She really was one of them. She looked around for House, but he was missing.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

Allison stared down at her costume and almost regretted letting Lisa talk her into buying it. But as Lisa had said, she was a cheerleader and one of PPH's elite, so she had to look the part.

It was a far cry from her costume last year, which was a pumpkin. She was a fairy, which really meant a tight black dress, fishnets, and stilettos, along with wings to reinforce the fairy part. Chloe had transformed her brown locks into long waves, thus making her look a lot like Lisa.

Lisa and others looked equally fabulous. Lisa was Wonder Woman, while Chloe looked innocently slutty in a mermaid outfit. Shelby was a Playboy bunny, while Riley was a jailbird, complete with real handcuffs.

The doorbell rung. The first guests were here. Allison took a deep breath, reminding herself what this night was for and that this was quite possibly her one and only chance to find out the truth about Wilson's death.

Her house filled up pretty quickly. The girls had done an amazing job with party planning. The fridge was stocked with drinks, the house vibrated pleasantly with Shelby's chosen playlist, and increasing numbers of hot guys trickled in, including Chase. His outfit, a football jersey, barely counted as a costume. She watched as Lisa flounced up to him and pressed her lips against hers. She turned away, her face burning, thinking about their kiss. She felt awful about what happened, but it was all for the best.

_Get a grip_. Allison reminded herself. She couldn't afford to lose focus.

For the next hour or so, she danced with Chloe. Lisa had disappeared, probably with Chase, and Shelby and Riley were in the hot tub with their boyfriends. Allison continued to play the role of attentive best friend, leaving every so often to bring Chloe increasing numbers of Jell-O shots. She knew from her last party not to touch the alcohol. As the party went on, she tried to keep an eye on Chloe. It wasn't hard, since she seemed to have an affinity for dancing.

Soon, Chloe was too drunk to stand up, and she looked dangerously close to puking. Allison felt slightly guilty for purposely intoxicating the bubbly senior, who was nothing but nice to her, but she reminded herself that this was for a good cause.

"Here Chloe, maybe you should go lie down in my room for a bit." She "helpfully" suggested.

Chloe nodded. Together, they stumbled up the stairs. Allison grimaced at the mess and tried not to dwell on that fact. She opened the door to her room and led Chloe towards the bed. Handing her a cup of water, she turned to face her drunken friend.

_All right here we go. Showtime!_

"Wow, Chloe, you really hit the Jell-O shots pretty hard, didn't you?" She started, hoping her voice stayed innocent.

Chloe nodded. "Well, it is a partyyyyy." She slurred.

"True." Allison nodded. "But still, it's more than you usually consume. Are you ok?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Chloe rambled. "My life is amazing. I'm going out with Matt, or no Tony, Noel, Gabe, wait no, Greg…hey I know a Greg." She babbled. "But I think he goes by Houseeeeee. Hahahaha House. What a funny name."

_Yes_! _Chloe mentioned House without any prompting. _

But Chloe was still babbling. "Hahaha. House. I wonder people are like, let's go to House's house. House's house." She snorted. "Bwahahahaha." She rolled with laughter, clutching her stomach.

_Enough with that_. Allison thought impatiently.

"Lisa hates him. We all do." Chloe continued.

She was finally getting somewhere. "Why?" Allison asked. The key was to keep herself as the attentive friend.

Chloe was silent. It looked like she'd fallen asleep.

"Chloe?" Allison reached over and poked her.

"Huh?" Chloe rubbed her eyes, smearing her makeup. "Is it time to get up?"

"Why do you guys hate House?"

"Don't know..." Came Chloe's muffled voice, for she'd buried her face in Allison's pillow pet.

"Well, you must have some reason." Allison urged.

"….Wilson." Chloe murmured.

"Oh, right. He killed Wilson, didn't he?" Allison questioned. "What's up with that? I mean, everyone knows he's like the school freak or whatever, but _murder_?"

Chloe pushed herself up. She looked dramatically around the room. "Wanna know a secret?" She leaned in close to Allison's ear. Allison tried not to cringe.

"Yeah. Sure." She tried not to sound too eager.

"Don't tell Lisa though. She'd kill me." Chloe whispered.

"You have my word." Allison said seriously, her heart pounding with anticipation.

"Ok." Chloe looked around the room again. "We killed Wilson." She whispered in Allison's ear.

Allison fought the urge to push the blonde off her. A sick feeling grew inside. "What?" She gasped.

Chloe nodded, her eyes wide. "It was Lisa's idea. We were at a party sophomore year and for some reason Wilson had brought House with him. Lisa thought it would be funny to spike House's drink." She paused for dramatic effect. "Then they drove home and Wilson died. Lisa made us promise not to tell anyone. Said she'd ruin our lives."

So Lisa had indirectly caused Wilson's death. It hadn't been House who'd killed Wilson, but Lisa. Lisa and her so called funny, harebrained scheme to prank the school outcast.

"We didn't wanna, but everyone obeys Lisa." Chloe said, confirming Allison's suspicions.

Could this be true? Allison didn't want to believe that the beautiful seniors could've had a hand in Wilson's death. It was an accident. Caused by a drunken House, but an accident no less.

But all the signs pointed to it. The girls' strange reactions when Wilson was mentioned, Chloe crying during the assembly, Lisa's deep hatred of House. Not mention that Wilson had been House's best friend, possibly the only person he truly cared for. House was smart enough not to drive home drunk.

Chloe started bawling. "Wilson's dead and it's all my fault." She turned over on her side. "Shoulda stopped Lee."

Allison felt sick with anger and horror. Not only had Lisa killed someone, but she'd had the nerve to force her best friends into silence and blame an innocent guy.

She looked down at Chloe, who was still sobbing. It was obvious that she still felt guilty about this. Allison knew Lisa well enough by now to know the just how serious Lisa's threats were. The brunette didn't mess around.

Suddenly, the room was suffocating. She could feel the walls close in around her. She had to get out of here before she puked.

**Author's note: So what did u think? Review! **


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's note: Thanks for all the lovely reviews! **

Chapter 16

Ever since she was little, running had helped clear her head. Helped her think and plan her next move. So that's what Allison did. Party still raging on, she slipped out the back door and ran. Ran as fast as she could down the quiet, tree lined street. She felt numb. Could barely feel the rain on her face or the blisters that were surely forming on her feet as she ran in her stilettos.

She didn't even know how far she'd gone until she stopped, gasping for breath and her face wet with rain, tears, or possibly both. She looked around, realizing that she was at the park 3 miles from her house that she used play in with Savanna. Of course her subconscious would lead her here. It was one of her favorite places, even now.

Allison sat down on one of the swings, not even caring about her costume. She wanted to tear it off, for it was yet another reminder of Lisa.

Lisa. Lies. It was funny just how similar those two words were. How could Lisa just stand by and let House take the blame for Wilson's death when it was clearly her fault? Yes, Lisa hated House and probably hadn't meant much harm, but still. She'd inadvertently caused someone's death. Caused someone to _die_. Keeping her role in Wilson's demise a secret was unfathomable. She hadn't seen the pain in House's eyes, the pain caused by the belief that he'd killed his best and possibly only friend.

Above all, Allison couldn't believe how _stupid_ she'd been to ever believe that Lisa was a good person. She'd heard numerous horror stories about the powerful senior, but had refused to believe it. Wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.

She now knew that Lisa's perfectly crafted façade was just that. Nothing more than an act. Behind the sweetness and beauty, she nothing more than a horrible person who was willing to go to lengths to get what she wanted. She'd even manipulated her so called best friends into staying mum. Allison couldn't believe that she'd ever strived for Lisa's respect. At least House hid behind walls because he had a good reason. His best friend was dead and he was miserable and lonely.

House. Oh. God. Allison knew that telling him the truth would be the right thing to do. But ever since he'd kicked her out of his apartment, she hadn't seen him at all. He'd practically disappeared. She was afraid of what would happen if she tried to contact him again.

Lisa had completely, knowingly fucked up House's entire life and she didn't even bat an eye. Nope, nothing mattered to her except that her life stayed perfect and everyone still loved her, worshiped her. It was sickening. What made it even worse was that her best friends were so scared of her that they just went along with it. Were they nothing more than mindless robots?

Just then, she heard footsteps behind her. Allison immediately stood up, her heart pounding in terror. How could she be so stupid as to go out to an old park in the middle of the night on Halloween? There were probably tons of crazy psychos out, looking for people like her. Allison held up one of her stilettos as a makeshift weapon just in case.

"Hey. Are you ok?" A soft voice asked. It was Chase. He squinted at her. "What're you doing?"

Allison lowered her shoe, knowing that she probably looked ridiculous. "Just needed some air." She sighed and sat back down on the swing. "What are you doing here?"

"You ran outta there pretty upset, so I followed you. Are you okay?" He was concerned. "Here, take this. It's cold." He said, draping his jacket over her bare shoulders.

Suddenly, Allison wondered why she'd ever rejected him. He was just amazing. Without thinking, she stepped up to him and pressed her lips to his.

Chase pulled away, astonished.

"Sorry." She muttered.

"No. Don't be." He said, wiping away her tears with his thumb. "It's just…are you sure?"

Allison nodded. Screw Lisa. Screw her and her lies. If Lisa could hide the truth about something as drastic as a classmate's death, then who knew what else she was capable of? She didn't deserve a guy as incredible as Chase.

He hoisted her up onto the swing and kissed her, this time more forcefully. She began to forget all about the day's events, lost in the passion of their kiss. For the first time in her people pleasing, do gooder life, Allison just let go.

**Author's note: I know Cuddy's not really an awful bitch in the show, but I wanted a really good reason for Cameron to justify dating Chase. REVIEW! And House'll be coming back starting in ch 21. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's note: Thanks for all the lovely reviews! **

Chapter 17

Sometime around 3 am, they walked back to Allison's house, where it was empty. Everyone had left, leaving behind a huge mess. But that was what cleaning services were for. Chloe was still passed out cold on Allison's bed, so Allison headed straight to the guest room, Chase at her heels. He curled up in bed next to her. The old her would've been horrified, but she just snuggled up next to him and promptly fell asleep.

They skipped school the next day, since Chase had a massive hangover and Allison didn't feel like seeing Lisa after Chloe's revelation. So they stayed at her place, watching movies and eating leftover Halloween candy. Around 2, Chase left for football practice.

Allison straightened up a bit more, even after the cleaning service came, for she knew how anal her parents were. She was dying to tell anyone about what Chloe had told her last night. She hadn't wanted to tell Chase, since she wasn't sure how he'd take it. Cuddy _was _his girlfriend, despite the fact that it seemed they barely spent any time together.

So she decided to tell Savanna, texting her to come over as soon as school ended. As expected, Savanna texted back right away, saying that she'd be there ASAP.

"What's up?" Savanna said half an hour later. "Why weren't you at school today?"

"Oh, I was, uh, sick." Allison lied, coughing for good measure.

Savanna nodded. "So what was so important?"

Allison immediately launched into her tale. "So you know the whole Wilson thing…." As she spoke, she looked up at Savanna every so often to gauge her reaction, but her best friend's face remained blank the whole time.

"So what should I do?" Allison finished. "I mean, I know that the right thing to do is tell House the truth, but I dunno."

"First off, why do you even care what House thinks? He's just a loser." Savanna rolled her eyes. "Second, that's bullshit and you know it." She said.

Allison felt a sick feeling grow inside. "What?"

Savanna pushed herself up. "Lisa would never do something like that!" She started pacing around the room. "God, how stupid do you think I am? Just because I'm not a cheerleader…"

Allison stood to face her friend. "You've got to be kidding me. I thought we were past that."

"How could you even say such awful things about Lisa and the others? You told me yourself that they've been nothing but nice!"

"I'm telling you the truth!" Allison shouted. "Lisa spiked House's drink and indirectly caused Wilson's death. Why would I lie about that?"

"I dunno!" Savanna retorted. "Cuz you think it's funny to mess with a loser like me?"

"You're not…"

"I'm not stupid Allie! I hear the way Lisa and her buddies talk shit about me. And how you don't say anything in my defense."

Allison fell silent. That was true, yes, but only because she wanted to stay on their good side. "I…"

"Or you're so jealous of Lisa that you're spreading vicious rumors to get everyone to hate her?" Savanna ranted. "That's just pathetic, Allie."

"Why would I be jealous of _Lisa?_" Allison rolled her eyes. "That's crazy talk."

"Oh don't play dumb with me. I know how much you like Chase. How much you used to talk me about him. _He's sooo cute, Savanna. Oh, God, I wish he was my boyfriend. He has the most adorable accent." _Savanna mocked in a high pitched voice.

Allison felt as if she'd been slapped. "I don't talk like that!" How dare Savanna throw back in her face everything she'd told her in confidence?

"Whatever. Same diff." Savanna sneered. "It's like I don't even know you anymore." She said, heading towards the door. "Have a nice life."

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

(about a month later)

Sneaking around with Chase proved to be more fun than Allison had originally expected. Ever since the revelation on Halloween about the truth surrounding Wilson's death, Allison had found it harder and harder to face Lisa and the others. She just couldn't believe that the Fearsome Foursome had been responsible for someone's death and just lied about it.

So every day during lunch, Allison made up various excuses, from meeting with teachers about failing grades (which wasn't really a lie, since House was no longer tutoring her) to having to catch up on homework in the library in order to meet Chase and avoid them. She turned down Riley's multiple offers to help her. Luckily, Chloe didn't bring up the Wilson thing again, having seemingly forgot about it, much to Allison's relief. The last thing she needed was Lisa cornering her with threats. For some strange reason, the girls hadn't picked up on the fact that her excuses were becoming more and more transparent. It probably had something to do with the upcoming tri-state area cheer competition.

"Hey." Allison said breathlessly as she dashed into the empty classroom where she knew Chase was waiting for her. "Sorry it took so long. I swear I was being watched the whole way here."

"It's cool." Chase said, standing up to kiss her hello.

"So, why are we here?" Allison asked. "In an empty classroom. Don't we usually go out for lunch?" Most days, she met him at his car, and then they drove to the mall or something.

"Yes, that's true. But I wanted to do something special today." Chase said, suddenly looking shy.

"What? Why?" Suddenly, she noticed the picnic set up next to the window, complete with all of her favorite foods.

"Cuz." He said. "Today's our one month anniversary." He sounded so cute and earnest Allison nearly melted.

"Awww, Chase." She said. "No one has ever done that for me before." She leaned up to kiss him. This was yet another reminder that Chase was not your typical jock meathead.

They sat down and started eating. As usual, Allison couldn't shake the paranoid feeling that they were being watched. On most days, they ate at a mall ten miles away from PPH, which definitely helped ease her fears. But today, well, anyone could just walk in here and see them. And by anyone she meant Lisa and the other girls.

"What's wrong?" Chase asked after noticing his (secret!) girlfriend anxiously checking the door again.

"Nothing, sorry." Allison said automatically.

"You know, you wouldn't have to be so scared if you would just let me break up with Lisa already." Chase said. Allison sighed. It was amazing how well Chase knew her the short time they'd been dating.

"You know very well that can't happen." Allison said.

"And why not?" Chase said. "I don't love her or anything, not like with you."

"It's just not that simple." She argued.

"Yes, it is." Chase said. "I like her, I date her. I don't like her, I dump her. Easy."

"Not to girls it's not." She sighed. "If you dump her, she'll know that it's cuz of me, that you like me. And then she and the others will make my life a living hell."

"So?"

Ugh. Boys could be so dense. "_So_, she'll kick me off the cheer squad, spread vicious rumors, and get everyone to hate me."

"Oh." Chase said, popping a grape into his mouth. "Still, aren't you sick of all this sneaking around? Hiding out in empty classrooms and flinching at the sounds of footsteps?"

"Yes." Allison admitted. What she wouldn't give to be able to step out in public with Chase. To gossip about the adorable things he did with her best friends. She couldn't tell Lisa and the other girls for obvious reasons, and she was no longer on speaking terms with Savanna.

"Then let me break up with Lisa." Chase insisted.

"Have you not been listening?" Allison could feel herself grow more and more frustrated. "You can't. At least not for now."

Chase sighed. "Alright." He grumbled, but Allison could feel his resolve crumbling.

"Have I ever told you how sexy you look in that jersey?" Allison said, deftly changing the subject. She leaned over to kiss him.

As their kiss deepened and the picnic abandoned, the tension of the day melted away. But she knew that this issue was far from over. That sooner or later, Lisa would find out about their secret relationship. And when that day came, she would be dead meat.

**Author's note: Don't worry, House will be coming back soon! Hope you enjoyed it! Please review!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Allison smiled as she threw her phone aside, knowing full well that it was yet another sweet text from Chase. As much as she'd loved to do nothing but talk on the phone all night with her secret boyfriend, she had a shitload of homework to finish. Now that House was no longer her tutor, her workload was being increasingly unbearable.

Her phone beeped, but Allison ignored it, trying to focus. "Name the number of bones in a human arm." She read aloud. "C'mon, you know this Allison." She muttered to herself. Her phone beeped again. And again, and again, and again.

"Ugh!" She leaned over and grabbed the phone, knowing that she wouldn't be able to concentrate without checking her phone. "What now, Chase?"

But it wasn't Chase. Instead of a bunch of flirty texts, Allison saw she had fifteen missed calls and texts, all from Lisa. Obviously something was wrong, for the powerful senior was never that needy. Allison knew she had to continue to play the role of a dutiful friend, so she hit speed dial number 1 (programmed in by Lisa, of course).

"Finally!" A high pitched voice shrieked. "I've been calling you for the last half hour!"

_Overdramatic much?_ Allison thought to herself, rolling her eyes. "Sorry, I was busy. So what's…" She was cut off.

"Chase broke up with me!" Lisa screeched over the phone.

"What?" Suddenly, Allison was flooded with dread. "He did _what_?" She had no trouble hiding her shock.

"Can you come over?" Lisa asked.

Ugh. That was the last thing Allison wanted to do, pretend that she cared enough to provide sympathy to that undeserving bitch. But she had to keep up appearances, and maybe Lisa would tell her what happened. "Sure. I'll be over ASAP."

~Long Gone~

As she expected, Chloe, Shelby, and Riley were already at Lisa's when Allison got there fifteen minutes later. They were crowded around Lisa, who sat on her bed, surrounded by crumpled tissues.

"Hey! I got here as soon as I could." Allison said, mustering up as much sympathy as she could. "I'm so sorry, Lisa." She said as if someone had died.

"What happened?" Chloe asked, all concern.

"H-he told me that he didn't feel anything anymore. T-that he h-hadn't for a while and we should s-see other p-p-p-people…" Lisa wailed.

"Oh, Lisa." The other girls said, wrapping her up in a group hug. Allison followed suit, trying to ignore the huge lump in her throat. Chase had said _that? _He made it sound like he was dumping her for someone else!

"It sounds like he's into someone else." Shelby said, casting a suspicious look over at Allison. Suddenly, she felt like she was about to puke. Did Shelby _know?_

"I loved him…" Lisa said, blowing her nose loudly.

As the others murmured words of sympathy and promises to destroy Chase's life, Allison couldn't help but notice that despite the fact that Lisa was sobbing desperately into her hands, there were no traces of tears.

**Author's note: Sorry this is so short. But I'll give you this. If you read carefully, you'll see a clue for what's yet to come. **


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's note: Thanks for all the lovely reviews!**

**Houseshead13 and JC: Y'all are smarter than I expected. That's all I'm saying :)**

Chapter 19

"You broke up with Lisa?!" Allison said, slamming Chase against the wall in a surprising show of strength. "I thought we had an agreement!"

"No." Chase said, looking amused. "_You _just decided that. I never said anything."

Allison flared up in anger. How dare he act like this was no big deal! "Chase! She's gonna think that you dumped her for me!"

"Well, I did." Chase said defensively. "Look, I'm sick of her. I like you now."

"She's gonna kill me!" Allison said, pacing up and down the empty classroom, casting a look at door to make sure it was still closed. She didn't even know why she cared so much about Lisa's opinion, after finding out the evil truth.

"Why does it even matter?" Chase said, voicing her thoughts. "You don't even like Lisa or popularity all that much."

Allison groaned to herself, immediately regretting telling Chase an abridged version of the truth, in which she'd broken down and complained all about how bossy, self centered, and horrible Lisa and the others were, and how Allison didn't even want to be popular or a cheerleader in the first place. But even as she'd said it, she'd realized how amazing Chloe and Riley (and even Shelby) could be, and how she actually sorta kinda liked being popular.

"Yes, but still. I don't want everyone to hate me."

"They're not gonna hate you."

"Yes they will." She insisted. "You don't get it, do you? People only like me cuz I'm friends with Lisa. Without that, I'm nothing. I'm just a really lucky freshman."

"Allison." Chase said, placing his hands atop her shoulders. He forced her head up, staring deep into her eyes. "People like you. Not just cuz you're a cheerleader, or friends with Lisa. You're amazing."

Allison shrugged. "Guess so."

"No, not guess so. It's the truth. Think of it this way. I liked you long before you were a cheerleader. Me. Robert Chase. The hottest, most popular guy at PPH."

Allison snorted. "Self centered much?"

"Hey, you know I'm right." He smiled. "You're smart, gorgeous, and funny." He leaned down. "Not to mention an amazing kisser."

As Allison melted into him, she forgot all about Lisa and just how screwed she was if Lisa found out the truth about their breakup. She just let go, and was so distracted she didn't notice the cell phone pointed directly at them.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

Several days passed by uneventfully. Lisa continued to be in breakup mode, wearing huge sunglasses to cover her red, swollen eyes and carrying a box of tissues around everywhere. She was constantly surrounded by Chloe and the other cheerleaders, forming a shield around her. Allison continued to play the role of a dutiful friend, no matter how much it pained her to hear Lisa trash talk Chase all the time. Much to her relief, Lisa hadn't said anything (yet!) about Chase liking someone else.

"Hey guys." Allison said, placing her bag down on the table. She noticed that everyone was staring intently at a projector towards the front of the cafeteria. "Watcha looking at?"

"They're about to announce the theme for the Midwinter's Night Dance." Chloe said, still keeping her eyes trained on the screen. Allison noticed that the usually bubbly senior looked just the tiniest bit angry.

"Cool name." She said.

"Of course it is." Riley smiled smugly. "I came up with it."

Suddenly, the lights darkened and a video started to play. An image of Vogler appeared onscreen. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I know you're all tickled pink to see me, and not just hear the theme for this year's winter dance. But first, a few announcements." He started droning on about various sports teams and such.

"Ugh, shut up already." Lisa groused. She wasn't even watching the video, like the majority of PPH's population, instead choosing to paint her nails a bloodred hue. That, coupled with her dark waves and eyeliner, made her look more threatening than usual.

"And here we are." Vogler said, finishing the announcements. "The theme for this year's winter dance is…drumroll please."

Everyone just rolled their eyes at their principal's lousy attempt at trying to be dramatic.

"Come on, come on, come on." Chloe said, crossing her fingers. Allison could see that many people around her were doing the same. It looked like PPH's winter dance was a pretty big deal.

"And the theme is…." Vogler started to announce, but suddenly, the screen blacked out and the cafeteria was stunned into silence.

"What the hell!" A group of juniors screamed, shaking their fists at the now blank screen. People started booing. Allison snuck a peek at Lisa and the others, but they appeared bored and over it. Perhaps they already knew what the theme was going to be.

Just then, the screen lit up again. People started cheering, sitting back to finish watching the video. But instead of Vogler's face, a grainy image began to play on the screen. It was so fuzzy no one could really tell what it was. Allison could just barely discern a couple, a blonde, muscular guy and a petite brunette onscreen, making out in what looked like an empty classroom. Probably some football meathead and his ditzy girlfriend and some upperclassmen's idea of a joke. Instead of being angry, everyone around her stared riveted at the screen. When the girl's shirt (which looked awfully familiar) fluttered to the ground, some of the guys started whooping loudly.

"Get a room!" Foreman shouted.

"They already did!" The captain of the basketball team shouted, equally loudly.

Suddenly, horror flooded her veins as the blonde guy turned towards the camera, staring it straight on. _The guy was Chase. Which meant that the girl was her. _Sure enough, she heard Chase moan her name quietly, but loud enough for the camera to pick up.

PPH seemed to come to this realization at the exact same time she did. People started whispering, and turning around to glare at her. As the video continued to play on, Allison started sweating, for she knew exactly where this was headed, and it wasn't exactly something she wanted to play out on video.

_Where are the teachers?_ Allison looked around frantically. But no one was there. No one to stop the video and save her. She tried to get up and maybe block the screen somehow, but Shelby and Riley held her back.

"You deserve this." They hissed angrily. All Allison could do was stare in horror as some of her most private, intimate moments were displayed onscreen for all of her classmates.

Finally, mercifully, the video stopped. As if on cue, the lights flickered back on. Allison could feel the weight of everyone's stares on her back.

She leaped up. "Lisa. I'm so sorry." She said. She had no idea why she even felt the need to apologize or justify her actions to Lisa, after learning about how evil she was. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Lisa had been shamelessly humiliated. Allison had always been the do-gooder type.

"Save it." The powerful senior stood up, towering over Allison. "You dirty little slut." She said. "Who do you think you are, hooking up with _my _boyfriend behind my back?" She said menacingly. "You wanted to be me so bad you couldn't keep your legs together?"

"It was after you'd broken up…"

"Doesn't matter." Lisa said, her eyes flashing. "I took you in, went shopping with you, and made you popular. And you repay me by having sex with my boyfriend, who I loved very much, the day after we break up?"

The cafeteria was silent as everyone stared. No one dared whisper when the all powerful Lisa Cuddy spoke.

"It wasn't the day after…"

"Save it." Lisa said, holding her palm up. "It looks like this has been going on for a long time." She added. "If someone hadn't caught it on video, I don't know what would've happened."

"I didn't mean for it to happen this way." Allison said. Then, she realized what Lisa said. "Why are you happy about this ?" She blurted. "It's done nothing but humiliate you."

"I may be humiliated, but this exposes you for what you really are. A dirty, cheap slut." Lisa's dark red lips curved into an evil sneer, one that looked startlingly similar to the cat that'd swallowed the canary. It almost looked like she was enjoying this. For a moment, Allison got the feeling that Lisa had somehow _planned_ this, like she'd meant for this to happen. She thought she saw Shelby high five Riley. But that was crazy talk. Who humiliated themselves in front of the entire school like that?

"I'm sorry." Allison said, meaning it. Yes, Lisa was an evil bitch who'd basically ruined the lives of innocents, but still. It couldn't have been easy seeing your ex hook up with a freshman. On video, no less.

The bell rung, yet no one moved. They stared, transfixed at them. Allison could see out of the corner of her eye that half a dozen cell phones were pointed directly at her.

"You have real potential in a future as a porn star." Lisa added nastily.

Allison said nothing to defend herself, even though she knew she didn't deserve this. She'd never been good at confrontation.

"You're nothing. Nothing more than a freshman. You're just one of Chase's fuck toys, and when he's done with you, he'll toss you out like he did me."

Allison heard someone come up behind her and put their strong arms around her trembling shoulders. Chase.

"That's enough, Lisa." He said firmly.

"Oh, Chase." Lisa snorted. "Always defending the underdog. How sweet." Her eyes flicked from Allison to Chase, whose arm was still around her.

"Leave her alone." He said. "It wasn't her fault."

"Oh, of course not." Lisa rolled her expertly lined eyes. "Poor wittle Slutty Cameron is the victim here."

"Let it go." Chase said firmly. "We're over, Lisa. Get over it."

People started whispering as they watched Lisa and Chase stare each other down for what felt like an eternity.

Finally, Lisa looked away. "All right, people, move on. There's nothing to see." Lisa commanded. Almost immediately, everyone scrambled up and away, not daring to disobey Lisa Cuddy.

"Slut!" People hissed as they bumped into her.

"Dirty bitch."

The whispers came faster and faster.

"Porn star."

"Sex Queen."

Chase hugged her close, as if doing that would block the insults from coming. But she still felt dirty and exposed. Allison crumpled into Chase, letting her tears flow freely. Her life was over.

**Author's note: Awful, right? REVIEW! Just think. The faster you review, the faster I'll update, which means the faster you'll see the dramatic reappearance of House. **


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's note: Thanks for all the lovely reviews. Every single one of them is read and appreciated! Here's an extra long ch, just for all you amazing readers. **

Chapter 20

_How could I have been so stupid?_ Allison thought to herself. It was the same thought that had plagued her mind ever since Friday. She'd always prided herself on her self control. Her ability to judge right from wrong. Her ability to assess a situation and make the right choices. But clearly she'd been wrong. About so many things.

She'd known, right from the start, that succumbing to her feelings for Chase would have severely negative repercussions later on. She remembered thinking to herself that she knew she'd regret kissing him on Halloween, yet she'd done it anyway. All because she'd let her anger at Lisa cloud her judgment. Push away her rational side. And yes, it had felt damn good. Amazing, even, to finally get what she'd wanted for once, instead of doing everything to please others. But look at what that had brought. Sure, she had a wonderful boyfriend, but at what cost?

_Some boyfriend._ Allison thought bitterly. _Didn't even bother to stand up for me until Lisa was practically done yelling._ She had a feeling that if the roles were reversed and _House _had been the one in the video instead of Chase, he would've defended her in a heartbeat. Unlike Chase, Allison knew he wasn't scared to stand up to Lisa Cuddy. He wasn't Lisa's subordinate, like everyone else at PPH.

But House was gone. Had been gone for so long. And thanks to Savanna's abandonment, all Allison had left in the world was Chase. But that wasn't enough.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

There was an incessant knocking on Allison's bedroom door, but she made no move to get it. Instead, she rolled over in bed. She remained silent, hoping whoever it was would take the hint and leave. But the knocking continued.

"Allie, I know you're in there." A voice called. Savanna. Ugh. Just hearing the voice of someone she thought she could count on, only to have them ditch her, was just the icing on top of the awful cake that now constituted her life.

"You can't fool me." Savanna insisted, knocking harder. Hearing no response, she barreled her way through the door. "I come bearing gifts." She held up a bag of Oreos, Allison's favorite. "Hey." Savanna said softly, approaching the bed. "Wow. You look awful."

"Shut up." Allison murmured into her pillow.

"Sorry." Savanna started to sit down, but then thought better of it and stood up, perching awkwardly at Allison's side. "What're you doing in bed?"

"Why do you even care?" Allison asked grumpily. "We're not friends anymore. You called me a jealous liar."

Savanna sighed. "I know. And I'm sorry for everything I said."

Allison ignored her.

"I didn't mean anything I said. I was just jealous that you didn't have time for me anymore." Savanna said.

Allison rolled over to stare at her old best friend, who looked like she was about to cry. She knew how hard it was for Savanna to admit she was wrong. But there was something inside her, something that been hardened through her time with the Fearsome Foursome that wouldn't let her just forgive Savanna so easily.

"Still. How long have we known each other? Almost 10 years!" She sat up angrily. "You know me better than anyone. Or at least I thought you did."

"I…" Savanna looked down guiltily.

"Do you even know what you did to me? You _abandoned _me, made me feel like there was no one in the world I could trust, when I needed you most. How many times did I stand by you, even when everyone hated you? Remember in 7th grade when Natalie Tucker spread that rumor about you being a hermaphrodite? Who stood up for you? Who scrubbed all those mean things off your locker? Remember when you had mono? Who brought over all your homework, came over every day, and stayed with you for hours on end until you were able to go back to school? I honestly thought being best friends meant you'd do the same for me. That you'd stand by me no matter what happened. But I guess I was wrong."

"I know I've been a terrible friend." Savanna rocked back and forth awkwardly. "And I'm sorry. I really am."

"You don't get it, do you?" Allison retorted. "Sorry doesn't even begin to cut it, Savanna. You have no idea what you put me through. I was left alone to deal with the Fearsome Foursome. Left alone to deal with my first boyfriend. Left alone on Friday. Do you know how awful, how _painful _it was to just _stand _there while Lisa humiliated me in front of everybody? Do you know how I felt, knowing that not one soul in that cafeteria, not a single person bothered to stand up to defend me?"

"But Chase…"

"You should know by now that guys are so dense. It took him about fifteen minutes before he came to his senses! Fifteen minutes while I experienced the worst moments of my life." Allison retorted. "I've always stood up for you and you couldn't even bother to do the same."

"I'm sorry…"

"It's like fine, I get that we were in a fight. But even if we hated each other to the point that we wanted to kill each other, I would've defended you if it meant risking the wrath of everyone else. Because that's what friends do. I wouldn't just stand by and let you suffer. Let you deal with everything alone."

"I know!" Savanna cried, bursting into tears. "I was just scared. Everything was changing so fast. All of a sudden, we were in high school. I barely knew anybody, and I couldn't risk losing my only friend."

"Right. So instead you drive her away." Allison nodded sarcastically. With a pang, she realized that she sounded a lot like House. "Makes a lot of sense."

"I know I could've handled it better. It's just…I-I thought you liked hanging out with the all powerful Lisa Cuddy more than me. I mean, all of a sudden, I was no longer the person you called first. No longer the person you made weekend plans with. I thought I was being replaced as your best friend."

"Look, I was scared too. Hell, I probably had wayyy more things to be scared about than you. I was spending the majority of my time with seniors, for crying out loud. They're practically a whole different species! But you know that I only stayed on the cheer squad because _you _asked me to, right? I only tried to get on Lisa and the other's good side all so I could get them to like me so they'd let me invite you to cool parties, right? I hung out with fakes and people who didn't even like me all in the hopes that it'd benefit you. I would've been perfectly happy if I'd quit cheering a long time ago."

"Oh, don't tell me you don't enjoy it." Savanna quipped. "I've seen the way you act towards Lisa and the others. I know that some part of you liked being popular. Like you're so perfect, Saint Allison." Savanna pointed out. "Like you bothered to stand up for me in front of them."

Allison nodded. "Ok, you're right. That's true. I admit I could've handled everything better too. I should've stopped them from trash talking you. I got caught up in everything as well. And I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Savanna sniffled.

"You know that no one could ever replace you, right?" Allison said earnestly. "I mean, even when you piss me off to the point where I feel like I'm gonna scream, you're the first person I wanna tell things to. You're my best friend, and nothing could ever change that."

"You're my best friend too. And I'm sorry." Savanna said again. "Honestly. If I could take back everything that happened, I would. I've missed you sooo much, Allie."

"Me too." Allison admitted, wrapping her old best friend in a tight hug. And for a brief moment, it felt like everything in the world was ok. That the whole thing with Chase had never happened. That House hadn't just randomly disappeared. That everyone didn't think of her as a slut.

"What are you doing in bed?" Savanna asked. "You never skip school."

"I'm hiding."

"Since when do you care about what people think?"

"Since a video of me hooking up with PPH's hottest guy was leaked to the entire student body." Allison countered.

"Look, the Allison Cameron I know would never let something as stupid as a video get her down. She'd get her ass out there and show the world how fabulous she is." Savanna opened the bag of Oreos, automatically handing one to Allison.

"Well I've changed." Allison said in between bites. "You said so yourself."

"Don't ever take what I say seriously." Savanna said. "Except this. Instead of letting what happened force you into hiding, you should embrace it. Something good did come out of it."

"And what's that?"

"You got me back." Savanna said proudly. "In all seriousness though. In a really twisted way, Lisa got what she deserved. Chase practically admitted that he never loved her, which for a girl like that, had to be a serious ego blow. And I think in time, people will see her for who she truly is."

"At a serious price though." Allison pointed out. "Everyone hates me."

"Then they're not your true friends." Savanna said simply. "You said yourself that were sick of hanging out with all those fakes. Now you can finally be rid of them. Surround yourself by people who truly like you for you, not just cuz you were Lisa's newest pet."

"I guess. It's just, how am I supposed to face everyone?"

"Like how we did on the first day of school. Together." Savanna popped another Oreo into her mouth. "And this time, I promise I'll stay by your side."

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

True to her word, Allison found herself flanked by Savanna and Chase on either side of her wherever she went all day. It didn't make it any easier to face the gauntlet of whispers and stares as she walked down the hallway to various classes, but at least she wasn't alone.

"Here we are, first period, m'lady." Chase bowed gallantly as he deposited her backpack at her desk.

"Thanks." Allison kissed his cheek, breathing in the scent of his cologne. But what she wouldn't give to have the scent of Old Spice (House's cologne) fill her nostrils instead of this spicy mixture that sometimes made her nose run and her eyes water.

Chase checked his watch. "Oh, the bell's about to ring. I should go. Text me if anything happens, and I'll be here in ten seconds or less, ready to kick some ass." He said, half serious, half jokingly. "You know I'll do anything for you."

Allison laughed. "All right. But don't worry. Savanna will be here soon."

As she sat down, it registered to her that Chase had been lying when he said he'd do anything for her. She could think of something big that he, as her boyfriend, had failed to do. And she couldn't help but think that it was something House wouldn't have forgotten.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

Hardest of all was seeing the Fearsome Foursome. It took all of her courage to not cower in fear and turn the other way. Despite her statement that popularity and everyone/everything associated with it was fake, Allison had genuinely liked them (at least for a short while), especially Chloe. She remembered how nice they'd been, taking a plain freshman under their wing and making her first several months at PPH unforgettable. It was like having a group of older sisters. They were so different from her, and had tons of advice about boys, school, and more. She'd learned so much from them that she felt like they'd actually become friends. That they liked her for her, and not because Lisa told them to.

But then those thoughts stopped. These girls were no sisters. They were nothing more than self centered, cruel bitches who followed everything Lisa said. And even worse was Lisa herself. Bitchy, manipulative, and downright evil. It was sick, for Allison knew how incredible each girl could be on her own, yet they worshipped Lisa like she was holy. She couldn't believe she'd ever sought their approval, hoped for them to like her.

"What are you doing here, bitch?" Lisa sneered. "You have some nerve, showing up here like you're so high and mighty."

"Who do you think you are?" Riley cracked her knuckles threateningly.

"We thought we made it clear. You're not welcome here." Chloe added, stepping up. "This is our school, and we're not gonna let you fuck it up."

"Why don't you just go slut it up elsewhere?" Shelby finished.

"C'mon." Chase shot them a glare. He threw his arm over her shoulders. "Let's go."

He started to lead her away, but Allison just stood there. "No."

"You don't have to talk to them." Chase argued, but Allison held her hand up.

She stepped up to the three girls she used to call friends. "I'm not just gonna walk away. I'm not scared."

The four of them looked her up and down, rolled their eyes, and snickered. That look would've made the old Allison cower in fear, but not anymore. She was done bowing down.

"You know, it's sad." Allison began. "That y'all have nothing better to do than make my life miserable."

"You have some nerve…" Shelby hissed, but Allison cut her off.

"I have some nerve to what? Stand here and talk to you like I'm not the slut everyone thinks I am?" Allison said mockingly. "You know what? I can't believe I ever wanted to be friends with you."

They glared at her, glares that would've sent any other girl running, but it just made her laugh. "Awww, look at that. You think you're scaring me."

Lisa stepped up to her. "You know what? You _should _be scared." She growled, her voice low and threatening. "I know and can do things to you, things that make you wish you'd never set foot at PPH."

Allison merely held out a steady hand. "Funny thing is, I know some things about you too." She hinted vaguely at the whole Wilson thing. She figured she could always use it to her (and House's!) advantage sometime.

"No. You're just bluffing."

"Try me."

Lisa stood there, seething with anger. "You little piece of shit." Her face was bright red. That combined with her mysteriously messy hair, was not an attractive look. "Tell me what you know or I swear to God I'm going to kill you. I'm gonna make your life miserable."

She just laughed. "I highly doubt that's possible, What are you gonna do? Turn everyone against me? Too late. Steal my boyfriend? Oh wait. If I remember correctly, he's the one who dumped you." Allison held her gaze steady. "Nope. Not a chance. Think I'll keep it to myself, thank you very much."

"You better watch your back."

"Bring it on."As Allison walked down the hall, her heart pounding, she had the strangest feeling that if House had seen this, he'd be proud of her.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

After school that day, she headed out to the parking lot to meet Savanna catch the bus. Now that she had been kicked off the cheerleading squad, her afternoons were free for the first time in the months.

It was a bright, sunny day. Unusual for December. She shielded her eyes from the sun as she made her away across the parking lot. She stuffed her earbuds in her ears with one hand, texting Savanna with the other to find out where in the hell she was. Her music was so loud, she didn't hear the revving behind her until it was almost too late. The motorcycle, directly behind, veers towards the left, missing her by mere inches.

She whipped out her earbuds, her heart pounding. Whoever it was, some bastard in a black leather jacket and matching helmet, had nearly run her over. "What the hell?" She shouted at the rider, who was already driving away. The motorcycle stopped, as if the rider had heard her. He turned around, locking eyes for a brief moment before driving away again.

Through the bright light, all she had been able to make out was the rider's intense blue stare. And that's when she knew one thing for sure. House was back.

**Author's note: You know what to do! REVIEW! **


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's note: Sorry for the long wait. I hope this ch makes up for it! **

Chapter 21

House may be back, but he was nowhere in sight. He'd been gone since about a week before Halloween. No one had seen him since. Allison knew it had something to do with what happened at his house that day. She knew that she'd somehow gotten through to him, through the brick walls he built up around himself. She wanted nothing more than to go back to his house and talk to him. But after how things had ended last time, was that such a great idea? She still remembered his harsh tone, and the cold fury that had crept over his features, completely transforming him into an ugly monster. What if he lost his cool again and tried to hurt her?

But deep down, she knew that wasn't him. Knew that he wasn't a violent person. Funny thing was, she didn't even know him all that well. Yes, they'd spent time together, but it was mostly him making her do his homework while simultaneously tutoring her. But she had this feeling in her bones that he was a good person. Just highly…misunderstood. Maybe it was just her desire to see the good in everyone. Either way, she couldn't deny that she missed him. Just as friends, of course. He was, of course, a really good tutor. She didn't dare consider that there might be other reasons why she was dying to see him.

She couldn't help thinking that she was the reason he'd left town so abruptly. Practically dropped off the face of the Earth. Stopped responding to her calls and emails. She knew that she'd really upset him. Part of her wished she'd tried harder to contact him. Told him the truth about Wilson. Even if it didn't make him come back, at the very least it could alleviate some of his suffering.

Why hadn't she told him the truth? Once she'd found out, she'd debated whether or not it was a good idea. She'd convinced herself not to, reasoning that it would be better to tell him in person, since it would make him more likely to believe him. So she'd told herself to just hold out and wait for him to come back. But he never did. Until now.

What made him come back so suddenly? Above all, where had he gone? She hoped it had been to rehab or something, but knowing him, that would never happen. Not unless he was hallucinating or something. But it would probably be more like him to enjoy the hallucinations.

It didn't matter. She had to find a way to tell him. It was the only thing to do. The right thing to do.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

"I'm so excited for tomorrow night!" Savanna squealed, squeezing Allison's arm. "It's gonna be amazing!" It was the day before the dance, and it seemed as though everyone was buzzing with excitement.

As usual, Allison was busy scanning the cafeteria, hoping that House would just magically appear. No such luck.

Luckily, Savanna was too busy rambling on and on to notice. "So I'll come over around 4 so we can get ready. Are we gonna get our nails done, or just do them ourselves? I was thinking we could go to that place on 24th, but I don't know, a lot of people will probably be there…"

"Mmmm…" Allison said, surveying the crowded room. She knew she hadn't been hallucinating that day. House had been there; she was sure of it.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

Incredible. That was one of the many words Allison could use to describe the transformed gym. Just incredible. To the untrained eye, the PPH gym no longer resembled a place in which you sweat. It was a winter wonderland.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" Chase said for about the fifteenth time that night.

"Yes." Allison rolled her eyes, but secretly enjoyed it. Truth was, she knew she looked amazing. She and Savanna had spent hours finding the perfect dress for what Savanna dubbed her "first public outing since the scandal". And their efforts hadn't been futile, for they'd found an amazing strapless red dress. That, coupled with her loose brown waves, made her look even more beautiful than Lisa, who wore an ordinary black dress and a scowl. The Fearsome Foursome had each given her the finger as she'd walked in with Chase on her arm, but she just grinned at them. They all looked more miserable than usual. Vaguely, she wondered how House would react. As usual, Chase had pronounced her beautiful, but it wasn't like that was out of the ordinary.

Still, even with the great music and incredible decorations (not to mention her date!), Allison was unable to relax. Unable to take her mind off House. She wondered where he was, and what he was doing tonight. It was the last day of school before winter break, which was supposed to be one of the happiest days of the year. Knowing him, he was probably sitting home alone in misery, most likely surrounded by bottles of beer.

Of course, she was unable to do anything. So she played the part of a happy, carefree girl at an amazing dance with her boyfriend and best friend. She danced, laughed, and tried to forget. Forget about the hot, damaged senior who was alone, alone on a night where nobody should be by themselves, drowning his guilt and sorrows in alcohol, guilt that wasn't even his burden to suffer.

Two hours passed by in a blur of dancing and loud music. But the only thing on Allison's mind was House. All she could see was the haunted look in his eyes. And she knew she couldn't take it anymore. She had to go see him. It wasn't fair that she was here, enjoying her time (mostly), while he was all alone. She needed to go and make sure he was ok.

"Hey, I don't feel so good." She improvised. "I'm just gonna go home."

"Oh are you ok?" Savanna asked, all concern. "Do you want me to come with?"

"Nah, it's fine." Allison waved her off. "You stay. My mom's coming."

"Ok." Savanna shrugged. "Call me in the morning then."

Allison hugged her goodbye. "See ya tomorrow." She looked around for Chase, who was talking to Foreman and bunch of other football guys.

"Hey, I don't feel so good." She repeated what she'd told Savanna. "I think I'm just gonna head home."

A true gentleman, Chase immediately offered to drive her home. But Allison turned him down, saying that her mom was coming. Like Savanna, he made her promise to call and she nodded, slipping away towards the exit, trying to contain her glee. She couldn't believe she'd actually gotten away from them.

Because they'd taken Chase's car to the dance, she had no choice but to walk to House's apartment. Luckily, he didn't live far and it wasn't too cold out. On the way over, she tried to think about what she'd say to him, to explain why she was there, but she just drew a blank. The closer she got, the faster her heart started pounding. Briefly, she wondered what in the hell she was doing, ditching the dance to go see a moody and sometimes volatile guy. She reminded herself that this would be the perfect chance to tell House the truth about Wilson's death.

It was a dark, foggy night. So foggy that Allison could barely see two feet in front of her. She nearly tripped on a pebble, cursing herself for not thinking to bring flats. But then again, she hadn't exactly planned this.

She reached his apartment building relatively quickly. Through the fog, she could make out a dark figure sitting on the steps outside, drinking from a bottle.

"What're you doing here?" A voice slurred. Allison didn't need to hear his voice to know that it was House. Just the mere sight of him sent shivers down her spine. She'd forgotten how hot he was.

"I'm here to see you." She said, trying to keep her voice steady.

He gave her the once over, nearly gasping as he took in her strapless dress. He blinked rapidly.

"What?" Allison blushed.

"Our little Cameron has grown up." He took a swig from the bottle. Allison could see three other bottles lined up next to him.

"What are you doing outside?" She asked, sitting down next to him. She could feel the cold of the steps through her thin dress. She tried to pull down the silky fabric to cover up more of her bare thighs.

"I could ask the same of you." He raised his bottle at her. "Dressed up all pretty. Isn't the Midwinter's bash or whatever it's called tonight? Shouldn't you be out with all your little friends, dancing your booty off?"

By friends, Allison knew he meant Lisa and the others. "We're not exactly friends anymore."

"Right." House nodded. "Heard about the video." Then, seeing the questioning look in her eyes, he continued. "Just cuz I haven't been at school doesn't mean I live under a rock."

"So I guess you know about Chase then."

"Who doesn't?" He snickered. "Nice ass by the way. I always knew you'd make good lobby art."

She was grateful for the dark, for her face turned the same shade as her dress.

They just sat there in silence for several minutes. Allison's heart pounded so loud she wondered if House could hear it. Then, she heard an odd sound coming from her left. It took her a minute to realize it was crying. House crying.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

He didn't seem to hear her. "He died today two years ago." He mumbled incoherently.

"Who?"

"All my fault." He said, pouring the rest of the bottle down his throat and throwing it carelessly aside. "If only I hadn't had that drink."

Oh. He was talking about Wilson. Of course. It all made sense now. Why House looked even more miserable than usual and why the Fearsome Foursome had sour looks on their faces at the dance. Today was the anniversary of Wilson's death.

"House it's not..." She started to explain the truth, but was cut off.

"He was my best friend." He moaned, putting his head in his hands. "My best fucking friend. And I killed him."

Allison's heart nearly broke as she watched House sob. It was the saddest thing she'd ever seen in her entire life. She was reminded all over again of Lisa's cruelty. Above all, she cursed herself for not telling him the truth. Who cared about how awkward that conversation would've been? At least she would've been doing the right thing. Maybe he wouldn't be sitting here, drowning in guilt, if she'd had the guts.

Tentatively, she placed her hand on his trembling shoulder. All she wanted to do was take away some of his pain. The pain that she now knew Lisa and her buddies had caused. The pain that she had the power to alleviate, yet she'd been too cowardly to do so.

"House, it's not your…" She tried again, but House clearly wasn't listening.

"He was the only person who truly cared about me. And I killed him." He repeated. "I drove away everyone who cared about me. I have no one."

"That's not true…" She tried to protest.

"I'm sorry." He blurted, looking up at her, bloodshot blue eyes meeting green. Every fiber of Allison's being wanted to kiss him again, but after last time, she wasn't so sure.

Suddenly, he lunged forward and kissed her. Kissed her so hard she fell backwards. In the heat of the moment, it took her a while to remember Chase.

She pushed him off. "House…I have a boyfriend."

"Screw the wombat." He growled. "I want you…" His lips traced the outline of her cheek, sending delicious shivers shooting down her spine. The electricity in the air, intermixed with their obvious desire for each other was so thick, so tangible, Allison could practically taste it. "Can the wombat do this?" His lips met hers, resulting in a frantic yet passionate kiss.

Those were the words she'd wanted to hear ever since the first day at school when she'd run into him. Since the first time she'd gazed deep into his electric blue eyes, glimpsing the sadness underneath. And she just wanted to stop thinking. Stop resisting her feelings for him. Stop pretending that Chase was who she wanted. That he was enough. She felt safe, sitting on House's porch, shrouded by darkness.

And so she let him scoop her up as though she weighed nothing. Let him gently deposit her on top of his unmade bed. Let him kiss her some more. Let him reach back and unzip her dress. And let him do things, let him see things, that she knew were wrong. She knew she'd regret this. But she didn't care.

**Author's note: So there you have it! The dramatic reappearance of House! What did you think? Review plz and I promise I'll try to update faster :) **


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's note: Sorry for the long wait. I've been super busy with school and everything. **

Chapter 22

Allison woke up with a start to her ringing cell phone. She fumbled over to the right for it, expecting it to be on her nightstand. But her hand hit empty air. Startled, she sat up and looked around, taking in the strange oak furniture and scratchy bedspread. Where in the hell was she? Her eyes widened in horror as she realized simultaneously that she was a) naked and b) in bed with a sleeping House. She nearly screamed as last night's events came rushing back. Ditching the dance, walking over to House's, talking to him, _kissing him, and sleeping with him._

"Oh God." Allison said as she jumped out of bed, fumbling around for her clothes which were strewn carelessly about the room. "Oh my God, what have I done?"

House sat up, his hair adorably tousled. "Oh. You're up."

She ignored him, zipping up her dress and looking around for her bag.

"You know, you're great in bed. The wombat's taught you well." He commented, throwing back a Vicodin.

"How could I have been so stupid?" She muttered, mostly to herself. "Chase is gonna kill me."

"Only if he finds out." House yawned. "Now are you coming back to bed or what? It's cold in here."

Allison turned towards him, her eyes flashing with anger. "No, I'm not gonna _come back to bed_." She snapped. "I have a boyfriend!"

"Sure didn't stop you last night." He winked. Allison was so mad she wanted to chuck her phone at his cocky smirk.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you didn't enjoy it." He said.

"It doesn't matter! The point is I shouldn't have come. I have a boyfriend." She repeated. "Oh God, he's gonna kill me." She said, scrolling through her phone. Six missed calls from Chase.

"Cameron." He said, limping painfully out of bed. He placed his hands on shoulders. She recoiled under his touch but he had a firm grip. "You have to stop caring about what other people want."

Allison shrunk away. "I can't. I have responsibilities, people who rely on me. I can't just up and sleep with whoever I want."

"You know, what I've learned from Wilson is that life is short." House said. It was the first time she'd ever heard him mention Wilson's name without a trace of anger or guilt. "So you have to seize the day. Carpe diem. Grab what you want and don't let go." He leaned in real close. "And right now, I want you." He whispered in her ear. "And I _know_ you want me." He stared intensely at her with those eyes. Those eyes that she could never say no to. The stare conveyed everything she'd ever wanted from him. Attraction, lust, and…was that love?

"No." Allison pulled away. "No. Life doesn't just work like that. I'm sorry." Without a look back, she walked towards the door, her heart filling with pain with every step she took. All she could see as she stepped out into the harsh sunlight was House's wounded face as she walked out of the room and subsequently out of his life.

But then she stopped, her hand on the doorknob. How could she do this to him? Hurt him all over again? In the short time she was with him, he seemed almost happy. She'd promised herself that she'd try to make his life better. And was leaving him really the way to do so?

Casting aside her remaining doubts, she headed straight back into his room. Walked right up to him and planted her lips on his. She was doing this for him, she reasoned. Just her way of helping him be happy. At least, just until she figured out how to tell him the truth about Wilson's death.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

With Chase, she felt safe. Like she was cuddled under a thick blanket with a teddy bear and her favorite book. Like nothing could go wrong. Like everything in the world was perfect. For most girls, Chase was the obvious choice. He was gorgeous, popular, and one of PPH's elite.

Yes, she was attracted to Chase. That much was clear. The way he'd noticed her out of all the other girls, choosing her over Lisa Cuddy. He'd gone out of his way to be nice to her, even though she was nothing but a mere freshman. In the short time they'd been dating, Allison hadn't seen him do as much as look at any other girl except her. Given his player nature, she knew this was no easy feat. In many ways, he was the perfect boyfriend. Always leaving sweet notes in her locker and trying so hard to protect her from all the gossipers. He always went out of his way to make her happy. You couldn't go bad with the accent either, which was just so damn amazing to listen to.

Chase had that slightly wounded, damaged complex that Allison loved so much about guys. She could tell that hidden underneath all his friendliness lay an abandoned little boy. From his lonely looking mansion, she discerned that he had some family issues. Something to do with his father. When she'd asked him about it, he'd immediately blown her off, saying that it was nothing she needed to worry about.

In a way, he was just like House. Both had issues and were so secretive about it. Both loathe to divulge anything. But that was where the similarities ended. While Chase tended to be openly sweet and devoting, House was anything but.

House. Just thinking of that name sent delicious shivers down her spine. It made her heart pound and her knees go weak. If her life was a cheesy movie, you could say that she was in love with House. And though she hated to admit it, was entirely true. The way he inherently knew what she wanted before she even knew it. How he could read her like a book. The way he always took care of her, something even surprisingly chivalrous Chase had failed to do. How there was so much depth to his personality. It was like peeling an onion. At first, he seemed like nothing more than a grumpy bastard. But overtime, it was obvious that there was so much more to him than his knowledge. His passion for medicine. The often annoying, yet undeniably endearing character traits, such as his obsession with General Hospital and video games. How when he was determined to do something, he persevered until he got it right. The way he pushed her until she snapped, but she knew that this would only serve to help her.

Obviously, Chase was the safe and simple option. He was polite, sincere, and knew how to hold a decent conversation. Adults loved him, and he was the type to help little old ladies cross the street. Whereas House would probably point and laugh and even trip them. Chase was the boyfriend all girls wanted and all parents wanted their little girls to have. You couldn't go wrong with a guy like Chase. He was the epitome of the picture perfect boyfriend. The Prince Charming to her whatever princess she wanted to be.

But House was, well…House. House was like a drug. A delicious, intoxicating drug that made your head spin and your heart ache at the prospect of doing without it. He was neither nice nor friendly nor all that great looking. In many ways, he wasn't the right guy. In fact, he was the exact opposite of what many girls her age looked for in a boyfriend. Angry, addicted to pain pills, misanthropic, cynical, and narcissistic. The list went on and on. He was the type that would send most girls running. But he was right for her. He didn't treat her like a delicate little freshman who needed protecting. He treated like Allison Cameron, a strong, independent girl who didn't need saving or coddling. He wasn't sweet. He was far from, with his constant insults and jokes that were quite mean. But when his kind nature did show through, well, it was the best feeling in the world. Yes, House was the type that would send most girls running. But he was right for her.

But this was where the problems started. She knew Chase would never let her down. He was that loyal and stable, while House would most likely end up disappointing her many times. He wasn't exactly the relationship type. It wasn't like she could pretend she was satisfied with just Chase. But it also wasn't an option to dump Chase and go for House.

Allison knew she had to choose. And fast. But how could she? They were both just so amazing. So different. So uniquely distinct. There was no way she could just _choose _one. So she just…didn't. Spent most of her day with Chase and went over to House's after school. Made up excuses for why she couldn't hang out with Chase or Savanna.

She knew that this was wrong. On so many levels. They were both _so _nice to her, and she was cheating on both of them. But every time she tried to sit herself down and pick one of them to date and one of them to disappoint, she just shut down. She couldn't do it. But sooner or later, her house of cards would come crashing down. She was damn sure. And when that happened, she would be so screwed on so many levels.

**Author's note: Plz review! Pretty pretty please! **


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"You know what I've always wanted?" Allison flopped over to look at him. She lay in House's bed, her head on his pillow, inhaling the subtle scent of Old Spice. His hands traced lazy circles over her back, sending goose bumps rushing down her spine.

"What?" He asked. "Oh no wait, let me guess. Just like every other typical American girl, you wanted a Barbie." He started singing loud and off key. "I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie worlddddd! Life is plastic, it's fantastic!"

"House!" She laughed, shoving him playfully. "Stop!

She continued. "I wanted one of those toy doctor kits. And no one of those cutesy ones either. I wanted one with a real stethoscope and syringe and everything, you know?"

"I'm guessing there's more to the story." He said, growing serious.

She nodded. "Yep. I asked for one every Christmas from when I was five to when I was eight. And you know what happened?"

"You didn't get one. Cuz it was oh so expensive so poor wittle Cameron had to settle for a Barbie with fifty two pairs of plastic shoes."

"No." She said, burying her face in the pillow. "I didn't get one, not because we couldn't afford it, but because my parents thought it wasn't an appropriate gift for their precious little girl. See, the thing is, they had all these, these _opinions_ and _standards _for what a girl should be. A teacher or a secretary? Fine. But a doctor? No. They didn't think I had what it takes. Didn't think that it'd be fit for a girl to be a doctor. My mother even told me herself. Allison, all a girl needs in life is lipstick and a husband." Her voice took on a bitter tone, mimicking her mom's words. "I mean, they were just so old fashioned. All I've ever wanted to be was a doctor, and as my parents, they should've encouraged it."

"I don't know, it's like they don't know me at all. I've received so many Barbies I've lost count. They signed me up for gymnastic lessons, trying to make me girly. When I was made a cheerleader, they were so happy. Never occurred to them that it wasn't what I wanted at all. To them, I was just their precious little princess." She turned to face him again. "That's why I fought so hard to go to PPH. It's the only school that offers internships at the hospital. I'm _going _to be a doctor. And no one's gonna stop me."

House nodded, rendered speechless by her fierce passion. That sparkle in her eye…it reminded him of himself. How he used to be, at least.

"You know, I've never told anyone that." She looked at him seriously. "Not even Savanna." _And not Chase._ She added silently. She had a feeling he wouldn't really understand. But House? She felt like he truly knew her, like he knew her better than she knew herself.

"Well, I'm honored then." House said fake modestly.

"Don't tell anyone." Allison said. "I'm serious."

"Don't worry." House whispered in her ear. "I'm realllyyyy good with secrets. But that's not the only thing I'm good at…"

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

Splitting her time between House and Chase proved to be far more difficult than she'd ever imagined. When she was little, she'd watch movies with Savanna, in which the glamorous heroine would always be fought over by two admittedly hot guys. While Savanna gushed over the heroine's clothes and choice of hot guys, Allison often found herself dismissing such material things. But in fact, she'd secretly think about how nice it would be to have guys fight over her.

But now, actually living it, well it wasn't so great. Every day was a challenge, as she had to carefully plan everything around her two boyfriends. She had to be careful not to accidentally slip up and reference something to Chase that she'd said to House, or vice versa.

"Shit, I have to go." Allison said as she glimpsed the clock. It was already 6; she had to meet Chase at the diner at 6:15. "Shit, shit, shit." She frantically jammed on her boots and looked around for her bag.

House looked at her, annoyed as he hit Pause on the game they were playing. "Come on, I can't pass this level without you. You're the only one who's ever played this game and made it so far without dying a horrible death."

"I'm so sorry." Allison said guiltily as she pulled on her coat. "Crap, I'm gonna be so late."

"You're just gonna leave me to die?"

"I'd love to stay but…"

"Yeah, whatever." House waved her off flippantly, but Allison could tell that he was hurt. "Go run off to the wombat. I'm sure whatever hair crisis he's having at the moment he really needs you."

"I'm sorry." Allison repeated, meaning it. She knew how cruel it was, for her to publicly date Chase while secretly dating House. It couldn't be easy to see your (secret) girlfriend kissing and cuddling with another guy every day. She wished that she could just pick one, but the idea of losing one of them made her heart ache. She just…couldn't. Couldn't give up one of them.

"House." She placed his hand on his shoulder. "Don't be mad. I'll make it up to you later…." She ran her hand seductively down his arm.

"Promise?" He pouted, holding up his pinky.

"Promise." Relief flooded through her body as she linked her pinky through his. She knew he might not be mad, but eventually he would snap. As she walked out, she looked back, feeling extraordinarily guilty at the hurt look on his face, a look that she knew she'd caused.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

"Allie?" Chase looked at her, concerned. "You ok?"

"Hmm?" A flare of annoyance lit up inside her as she looked up. She'd been mentally reliving her perfect afternoon with House. Despite his constant berating and insults, he'd been surprisingly good company.

"You seem distracted." Chase noted as he took a large bite of his burger.

"Oh, just tired." Allison said vaguely.

"You barely touched your food." He gestured at her uneaten salad.

"Not really hungry." She fought to keep the irritation out of her voice. After a day with House, she'd forgotten all about how, well, _caring_ Chase was. And it was kind of annoying.

"Are you ok? Do you feel sick?" He persisted, trying to grab her hand, but she pulled away.

"I can take care of myself." Allison snapped, and then instantly regretted it. He was just trying to be a good boyfriend. "Sorry." She muttered.

"It's fine." He said, but he pulled his hand back. They focused on their food for several moments.

"So today…" Chase started talking about football. Again. How could she have not noticed how much he loved to talk about sports, something she had no interest in?

"Hey." She interrupted him. "You were right. I don't feel so good." She said, mainly in an attempt to shut him up. "I think I should just go home."

"Oh!" He immediately stood up. "Here, let me take you home."

"No, it's fine." She protested.

"No, really, I insist." He said. "What kind of a boyfriend would I be if I just let my sick girlfriend walk home alone in the cold at night?"

They drove home in mostly silence. At Chase's insistence, his gray hoodie was draped over her shoulders. Allison rested her head against the cool glass, watching the houses and trees rush by. She was glad for the sick excuse, since she was in no mood to talk. House's hurt look remained glued in her mind. She knew that she was causing him so much pain, despite the fact that he was so adept at hiding it. And she knew that if Chase knew the truth, he would have the same hurt look.

"Well, here we are." Chase hit the brakes.

"Thanks." She said, gathering her stuff. "I'm sorry that the night had to end so early."

"Hey, it's not your fault." He said, reaching over to brush back a stray lock that had somehow escaped her messy bun. "Nobody asks to be sick." His handsome, concerned face made her feel even guiltier. Chase was just so damn sweet. A real Prince Charming. He truly cared about her.

He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, rubbing her back gently as her hands tangled themselves in his hair. For a moment, she was lost in the kiss, temporarily forgetting about House. What was so wonderful about House again?

"Chase!" She protested after several minutes, pushing him away playfully. "You'll get sick too!"

"Don't care." He shrugged. "Anyway, don't forget to drink tons of fluids. Call me in the morning?"

She nodded, getting out of the car. "Thanks again for the ride." She leaned in the open window.

"Yep." He said. "Anything for my girl."

His girl. He'd probably meant it in a sweet, loving way. But to Allison it just sounded possessive and controlling. Like she was a trophy girlfriend. And that was _not _something she intended to be.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

Allison rolled her eyes from her perch on House's bed as he rifled through a messy stack of video games on his desk; for the last fifteen minutes, he'd been searching for this one game that he claimed he needed her help on. She watched as he came across the picture of Wilson that was hidden behind a large stack of stuff. A mixture of grief and guilt crossed his face as he studied the picture and set it down gently.

She had to tell House. Tell him the truth about the whole Wilson thing. But how? It wasn't like she could ask Savanna for help. Or anyone, for that matter.

Every time she tried to bring it up, House just shot her down. If she just so much as said the name Wilson, he'd instantly shut down. The cheerful House she fought so hard to bring out would be buried under layers and layers of silence and sarcasm. She couldn't just let it go on like this. No matter how hard he tried to hide his pain, Allison knew him well enough that with every passing day, his guilt just grew stronger. She had to do the right thing; it was how she was built.

She couldn't just bring it up like that. She'd tried so many times and failed. And what if he got mad? She knew how volatile his temper was; he'd surely blow up once he realized that she knew the truth. What if he'd think that she kept it a secret just to be cruel?

But this wasn't about her. She had to find a way to tell him. If she truly cared about him (and she did), then she would have to. As soon as humanly possible.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

"You seem distracted again." Chase noted. They were walking down the street, towards Chase's favorite burger place a few blocks from school one Friday. "Is everything ok?"

"Hmm? Yeah." She answered automatically, shoving her hands into the pocket of Chase's gray hoodie, which she'd claimed as hers.

"No, it's not." He stopped in front of her. "I know you, Allie. Well enough to know that something's wrong. C'mon, you can tell me." He coaxed.

And suddenly, Allison found herself blurting everything out. She just couldn't hold it in anymore. So what if House hated Chase? So what if this was a deeply personal matter? This was all in the name of helping House, so it would be ok…right?

"Ok, so you know how everyone thinks House killed Wilson?" She began. "Well, back when I was friends with Lisa I discovered that House didn't kill Wilson. I mean like not directly, cuz you see Lisa spiked House's drink which made him crash his motorcycle which screwed up House's leg and killed Wilson." She said hurriedly.

"What?" Chase just stared at her. "How did you find out?"

"Chloe told me."

"She just told you." Chase said suspiciously.

"Well, ok, she didn't tell me. I sorta had to get her drunk…" Allison admitted sheepishly.

"Ok…" Chase was confused. "So what's the big deal here? Even if Lisa caused everything, why are you stressing about it?"

"Because." Allison struggled to find the right words. "Because…because he's my tutor." She said finally. It seemed like a plausible explanation.

"So?" Chase shrugged.

"So, I care about him." She stopped, realizing her mistake as Chase raised his eyebrow. "As a friend." She said quickly. "He practically helped me pass all my classes."

"I still don't see what the problem is here."

God. Chase was so dense. Allison wanted to throw her hands up in frustration. "He thinks he killed his best friend and he's still guilty about it. But it's not his fault. I have to tell him. But I don't know how."

"Maybe it's not your place to tell." Chase said slowly.

Allison just stared at him. "What?"

"I mean, he's nobody. What does it matter anyway? I get that he was your tutor and everything. But still."

Allison started to protest, but was interrupted.

"Allie." He said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I think it's sweet that you care about him and everything. I really do. But let's face it. Even if he was exonerated from killing his best friend, this changes nothing. No one will like him. He's not gonna miraculously turn into a whole new person. House has always been a violent druggie. I've known him a lot longer than you, so trust me when I say that nothing will change."

"Wow. That harsh." She commented, stepping back from him. Suddenly, Chase wasn't the sweet guy she knew he could be. In that moment, he was transformed into a mixture of ugly jealousy.

"But you know it's true. Don't spend your time stressing about this." He studied her reaction. "Are you sure the only reason you care is because he was your tutor."

Oh, no. "Of course it is." Allison said quickly. "I mean, why else?"

"I don't know." Chase said uncertainly.

Double oh no. Allison forgot how well Chase knew her sometimes. The next words coming out of her mouth would hurt like hell, but it was essential. "Don't be silly." She ran her hand down the length of his arm suggestively. "You know you're the only guy for me. You said it yourself." She tiptoed up to whisper in his ear, his blonde hair tickling her face. "I'm your girl."

"House is nothing." She continued, standing back normally. "He's just a fucking loser who's too smart to get himself killed. Stupid fucking druggie. He's gonna be alone all his life. Gonna die in a pool of his own vomit. And you're right. Why _should _I care about him? I'd rather die a painful death than be seen with _him._" As Allison spoke, her tone grew harsh. Dimly, she registered how awful those words were, especially when she knew they were the opposite of the truth. But all that mattered in that moment was to downplay Chase's suspicions. To make sure Chase didn't know the truth. She couldn't bear losing him.

She looked up at Chase, hoping to see a relieved smile on his face. But instead, he stared at something over her shoulder.

"What?" She asked, turning around. And then horror flooded through her as she realized that House was standing right there. And judging by the look on his face, he'd heard every word.

**Author's note: So what do you think is gonna happen? If I get at least 5 reviews, I'll update by tomorrow!**

**Oh btw, part of House's dialogue came from the song Barbie Girl. Not mine, don't own it. **


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's note: Thank you soooooooo much for all the lovely reviews! As promised, here's the next ch :)**

Chapter 24

The words oh and shit ran themselves continuously through Allison's mind as she raced after House, completely abandoning a bewildered Chase. She weaved through crowds of PPH students. All that mattered was finding House, reaching House. Dimly she realized that for a cripple, House could walk damn fast.

But not fast enough, as she caught up to him relatively quickly. "House." She stepped in front of him, blocking him.

"Nice of you to tell me the truth. Oh wait, you didn't!" He shouted.

"House…"

"When were you gonna tell me?!" He shouted, waving his arms around angrily.

"I…I…" She stammered. "I don't know…"

"Dammit, Cameron!" He threw his cane to the ground. The force of it made her jump with fear. The sweet, gentle House she'd known seemed to be entirely gone. "You didn't think I deserved to know?! Do you have any idea of the kind of hell I've been through? Every night, just before I close my eyes, all I see is him. Lying dead on the side of the highway, bleeding from his head. Walking around with the knowledge that I killed my best friend. And then I find out that it wasn't true! AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN TELL ME! Was I just some sick game? Something for you and your wombat boyfriend to laugh at?"

"No, of course not!" Allison protested. She tried to grab his hand, but he pulled it away forcefully.

"You know what? I knew this was a mistake." He sneered. "I never should've trusted you. You're nothing more than a dirty liar."

"No, House!" Tears started streaming down her face. "I was gonna tell you, I swear! I-I just didn't know how!"

"You know what?" He growled. "You're just as bad as Lisa and her buddies."

Allison felt as though she'd been punched in the gut; it was the worst possible insult anyone could've given her. "You don't mean that…"

"Oh, but I do." House snapped. "You're exactly like that little bitch. Obsessed with status and popularity and how people see you…you're a dead ringer for Lisa Cuddy."

"I don't care about what people think!" She protested.

"Oh yeah?" He shouted angrily. "House is just a fucking loser. Stupid fucking druggie." He said in a high voice, obviously a poor imitation of her.

"What? No! I just said that that so Chase wouldn't…"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure that's the only reason." He rolled his eyes mockingly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, I think you know damn well what it means!" He shouted. "What, was I not good enough for you?"

"No, no of course not." She sobbed. "House, don't do this. Please. Just let me explain."

"Explain what? Explain why you've been keeping this secret from me? Explain why you've led me on for so long?! This was all a joke, wasn't it? You and your little buddy Chase probably knew all about this all along." Allison could see the hurt in his eyes. "I was just a joke." He looked away, shaking his head in disbelief. It seemed as though tears were forming in his eyes.

"You know what the worst part is? You didn't have the guts to tell me that I didn't kill my best friend. I had to find out by eavesdropping. Out of anyone, you told _him._ You told the wombat. Not that stupid airhead Savanna, but him." He snapped. "That's just sick. I'm done with you. Done with you and your lies. I thought you were better than that, but I guess I was wrong. About _so _many things. Go join your wonderful boyfriend. You two deserve each other." And with that, he limped away, leaving Allison alone, broken, and empty.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

The worst part was, she had to pretend everything was ok. Pretend that her life hadn't turned completely upside down. Pretend that her heart wasn't broken. Her insides ached from crying all weekend. She'd hurriedly told Chase that she had food poisoning and then rushed home, burying her face in her pillow. Eventually, she'd run out of tears and just lay there, guilt overpowering her. All she could think about was House. How amazing it'd felt to be with him and how she'd just ruined it. Later, Chase had come over with some Gatorade and crackers, and she had to act like she was sick. His sweetness made her feel even worse. She didn't deserve it.

"You've been really quiet lately." Chase commented as they walked to his car after school. Normally, she'd be on her way to House's, but clearly circumstances had changed.

"Huh? Just a little…stressed." She improvised. "Finals and all." She shrugged.

"Aw, don't worry about it." He smiled. Normally one of Chase's smiles could cheer her up, but not today. Not since the breakup. "Hey, if you're having trouble with stuff, why don't you call that tutor of yours?"

Shit. Chase had said exactly the wrong thing. Allison had to bite down on the inside of her cheeks to keep from crying.

"Mmm…" She said, trying to swallow back a sob. "I don't think he's free."

"Oh ok." Chase nodded as they got into his car. "Well, that's probably for the best. Wouldn't want you to fall in love with him or anything." He joked.

Oh, if only he knew. Allison forced a laugh. "No need to worry about that."

The worst part was how House thought she'd kept it a secret just to be mean. That she'd dated him purely as a joke. For someone who claimed he could read people, House wasn't so great at it when it was truly important. If only he'd had given her a chance to explain. To tell her side of the story. Tell him how she'd agonized over the decision of whether to tell him the truth or not.

All she wanted was a chance to explain. She couldn't just leave things between them like that. But he'd stopped answering her calls, texts, and emails. Yet again, he'd practically dropped off the face of the Earth, barely showing up at school anymore. It was just like before, except this time it was her fault.

She closed her eyes, resting her head against the cool window as she recalled the day before the breakup.

"_You know, I'm really good at reading people." House said. It was a surprisingly nice Saturday, and they'd taken a day trip to the next town over, somewhere House said was one of his favorite places, where they could be out in public without anyone recognizing them. House had surprised her that morning, showing up at her doorstep at 8 am with a bouquet of flowers. His motorcycle was parked in the driveway. (Thank God her parents were gone for the weekend.) It was the first time she realized how close their relationship had grown; House had to be very comfortable with her to do something like that._

"_Oh really?" She took a bite of the ice cream House had insisted on buying her. He said that it was his favorite ice cream place in all of Jersey. He'd even said that she was the first person he'd ever taken there. That had made her insides fill with warmth. _

"_You don't believe me? I'll prove it." He scanned the array of people around them. "See that woman over there?" He pointed at a youngish, professional looking woman seated on a park bench nearby, speaking loudly into her cell phone._

"_What about her?"_

"_She has red nail polish smeared all over her finger tips." House said. _

"_That doesn't mean…"_

"_Means she cares about what people think, since red is an attention grabbing color, but she's too cheap to go out and get a decent manicure."_

"_Ok, really?" Allison crossed her arms over her chest. "That's silly."_

"_Is it?" House raised an eyebrow. "See the way she keeps looking around? She's trying to see if people are watching. She wants to seem important."_

"_Well maybe she's just bored." Allison suggested. "I do that sometimes."_

"_But look at the way she keeps looking around. That's not just boredom. She's not rolling her eyes or anything. And look at the way she's dressed. Three inch heels at the park on a Saturday?"_

"_Alright, fine. You just got lucky." She protested._

"_Or maybe I'm right." House winked. "Ok, see that couple over there?" _

_Allison nodded._

"_They're having an affair. See the way their hands keep bumping? And the six inches between them? They're trying to hide the fact that they're in love. And see how their rings are two different colors? They're both married, but not to each other."_

_She rolled her eyes. "You don't have any proof."_

"_Watch and learn." He winked, and then limped over to them, startling them as he stopped directly in front of them. _

"_Are you having an affair?" He asked loudly. _

_Allison hurried over to them, her face flaming. "I'm so sorry." She apologized. _

"_It's fine." The woman answered, but Allison noticed that she'd turned pale. Her eyes kept darting around from side to side. The couple left, but this time the distance between them was far greater than before._

"_See? What did I tell you?" House grinned as they walked away. "I was right."_

"_Yeah." Allison smiled. "Guess you were. Do me next!" _

"_Not in public." House stage whispered. "I don't need you screaming my name with everyone watching."_

_Allison blushed. "I didn't mean that."_

"_I know." House rolled his eyes. "I mean, duhhh. I'm, like, so totally not stupid ya know." He pretended to twirl an invisible strand of hair around his finger._

_Allison pushed him playfully. "C'mon. I wanna see how well you know me."_

_House regarded her. "Ok. You care about people way too much, to the extent that you probably spend your holidays volunteering at homeless shelters. You will never say no to people. Some may call you a pushover but I know you're just too damn nice. And judging by the way your coat is buttoned all the way up to the top, you don't want people judging you for your looks. But since you're wearing skinny jeans, you still want people to notice you. And you, Cameron, are in love with me." He finished. _

"_I am not." Allison protested, but her flushed cheeks gave her away. Judging by the look in House's eye, he loved her too, despite the fact that he would probably never say it. _

It had been the perfect day. It was her last happy memory of him. And now it was all over, thanks to an incredibly stupid mistake.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

Wake up, put on fake smile, go to school, search hallways for House, pretend everything was ok, and repeat. Wake up, put on fake smile, go to school, search hallways for House, pretend everything was ok, and repeat. That became Allison's day to day routine over the next several days. Her face started to ache from the effort of fake smiling; it was all she could do to keep herself from collapsing into the fetal position and crying for days.

Explaining and apologizing clearly wasn't going to happen. As far as anyone knew, he was gone. Maybe this meant that she had to just accept that they were over. That she needed to get over it and move on with her life.

Allison decided to go back to that town. It would be painful but maybe it would give her the closure she needed. And if anything, it could give her the chance to clear her head. To reflect on the tumultuous events of the past several weeks.

As she walked down the quiet, tree lined street, she looked around, taking in the familiar surroundings. She thought about how amazing it was that on the surface, it seemed as though everything had remained untouched (she was even wearing the same jeans as the last time she was here) yet in actuality everything had changed. The last time she was here, she'd walked alongside House. And now, she was all alone.

At first, seeing everywhere she'd been with House made her want to cry, but as time went on and the streets gradually filled with people, she realized that this trip wasn't a horrible mistake. She felt much, much calmer and even…happier. It helped that it was a sunny day. The farther she walked, the more she realized that she needed to find a way to at least apologize. She'd hurt him, big time, and he deserved an apology. Yes, he was practically nonexistent, but that didn't matter. It was her responsibility. She owed him an apology.

And as if the universe had heard her thoughts, Allison suddenly saw something that made her freeze in her tracks, bumping into the person in front of her.

"Sorry." Allison apologized, sidestepping them. Was that House she'd seen? Coming out of his favorite ice cream place across the street? She had to reach him. She raced towards the shop, dodging cars. "Sorry, scuse me." She said repeatedly. Since it was a sunny Saturday, there were tons of people out on the street. She weaved through the crowd, keeping her eyes peeled for a guy with a cane. Twice she thought she saw him, but it turned out to be somebody else.

Had she just hallucinated him? Maybe it was the lack of sleep talking. Rubbing her temples, she started walking towards a Starbucks she'd passed earlier. Perhaps some coffee would help.

Then there he was again. Limping down the street about a hundred feet in front of her, balancing two large ice creams in one hand. She rubbed her eyes vigorously, but when she opened them he was still there. "House!" She called, booking it down the street. She had to reach him, had to apologize. This was the first time she'd seen him in weeks and probably the only chance to make things right. "House!"

But he didn't seem to have heard her, as he continued limping. Or maybe he was deliberately ignoring her. Either way, it didn't matter. She studied him. He looked almost…cheerful as he walked down the street, sunglasses hiding his mesmerizing blue eyes. It even seemed as though he was whistling. Was he really that happy without her? Was he glad to be rid of her? Didn't matter. She was here to apologize.

"House!" Her voice grew increasingly desperate. How could a guy with a cane walk so fast? Just then, something occurred to her. Why was he carrying _two _ice creams? It was unlikely that he was that big of a pig. Was he on a date? If so, _with who?_

Acting purely on instinct, she flattened herself against a wall and watched as he kept going. Saw him reach his car and knock on the window. Nearly gasped aloud as the door opened to reveal…

Lisa Cuddy.

**Author's note: Yes, I realize that many of you have probably seen this coming. But for those of you who haven't...surprise!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's note: Officially the last ch, with an epilogue coming up in a few days. **

Chapter 25

_LISA? _Allison thought in shock. House was on a date with Lisa? Numbly, she watched as House got into the car and handed Lisa one of the ice creams. Watched as Lisa squealed with delight and wrapped her hands around House, planting kisses down his neck. Watched as the ice creams were abandoned as Lisa crawled on top of House. The tender way House looked at her made Allison's heart ache with longing. House used to give _her _that look.

_Damn, he'd moved on real fast. _Allison thought as she turned away, unable to watch. It had barely been three weeks since their breakup. Unless…_no._

It seemed like the unlikeliest pairing ever. Lisa _hated _House. Had always trash talked him at any chance she could get. Sneered at him whenever he passed by in the halls. In the time she'd been friends with Lisa, Allison had never ever seen Lisa throw House a look that wasn't full of disdain.

All the pieces started falling into place. Why Lisa always disappeared. Why her disappearances always seemed to coincide with House's absences. Why she'd thought she'd seen House at that party at Chase's months ago. Why Lisa hadn't seemed all too bothered by the fact that Chase dumped her. Everything clicked. It all made sense now. They hadn't just gotten together. _Lisa had been secretly dating House all along._

Maybe it had all just been an act. Lisa acting like she hated House in order not to arouse suspicion seemed like a perfectly plausible explanation. Allison sank down onto the edge of the curb. Yet again, everything she'd known to be true had been turned inside out. PPH was a strange place, where the most popular girl ended up to be secretly dating the school outcast.

If House had been secretly dating Cuddy for so long, it meant that House had been cheating on her when they were dating just like how she was cheating on him with Chase. It was so sick and twisted it made her want to puke. Was she just a game to him? A distraction? She realized that when House had told her she was the first person he'd brought here, he'd lied. Straight to her face. He was no better than a player, something he claimed he hated.

No wonder House had seemed ok with her dating Chase; he'd been cheating on her all along. With that bitch Lisa Cuddy, no less.

But wait. He hadn't been _ok_ with it. In fact, Allison could remember plenty of times where the mere mention of Chase's name had sent House into a bitter mood. This coupled with the revelation meant that House was a lying, cheating, hypocritical bastard.

Fueled by her searing anger, she marched up to House's car. Found herself knocking on the window of House's car. Lisa turned towards the window, startled, and Allison found herself satisfied by the shock that crossed the senior's face as she realized that they were caught.

Lisa and House scrambled to fix their clothes. Allison stepped in front of the car to ensure that they wouldn't just drive away. There was no way she was leaving without a good screaming match. She could feel her pent up emotions bursting inside.

"So. I guess you're a voyeur." House quipped sarcastically as he stood to face her. Lisa was close behind.

"You." She shook her fist at him. "You're a dirty, lying, rotten, cheating _bastard. _You had the audacity to yell at me about cheating on you when the entire time you were cheating on me with _her." _She gestured roughly at Lisa.

"What?" Lisa gasped. "Y-you dated her?"

_She hadn't known._ Allison realized as she stared at the messy haired Lisa, who looked sick and really, truly blindsided. For the first time, Allison felt sorry for her. It _sucked _to find out that your boyfriend was a dirty, rotten, cheater.

But it didn't matter. She was on a roll. "You know, I can't believe I ever liked you. You're no better than her. Was I just some game to you? Something to help pass the time while your _real_ girlfriend was busy?" She blinked back tears. "How many other secret girlfriends do you have, House? Is there one hidden in your closet?" She snapped, her voice harsh.

House started to say something, but she cut him off. "Don't you dare try and talk to me." She growled. "You know, I actually thought you were a good person. A misunderstood, lonely, misanthropic one, but a good person nonetheless. I chased after you hoping to apologize. Now I see that I have nothing to apologize for."

Just then, something occurred to her. Lisa was a sick, twisted bitch, not even bothering to tell her own boyfriend about the truth surrounding his best friend's death, instead letting him suffer each and every day. And House was no better. They were continuing to date each other despite the fact that House knew the truth now. The truth about how evil Lisa was.

"You know, I can't believe you're still dating her even after you found out it was her who killed Wilson." She quipped, pacing around in a circle. "Do you even have any morals?"

"Don't you dare talk to me about Wilson." House snapped.

"Why not?" Allison asked. "You clearly don't have a problem dating your best friend's killer."

Lisa flinched at the word killer. She was uncharacteristically quiet; Allison supposed it was quite unnerving to find out that your secret boyfriend wasn't such a secret anymore.

"Shut up." House growled.

"Or what?" Allison mocked. She was surprised to find out that she was enjoying this. Unlike their last confrontation, she was in control here. "She _killed _your best friend. You know that, yet you're still dating her. Are you that desperate?"

One look at House's face and Allison knew that was true. "Wow." She snorted. "You're so desperate for company that you'll stay with her. She killed your best friend. And you _know_ how guilty you feel about that. That's just...wow. That's sick. You do know that she's the reason you're miserable, right?"

House didn't answer.

Allison continued. "You called me a liar. What about her?"

She turned to Lisa. "And what about you? Do you even have a heart? You caused his best friend's death, let him take the fall, and you're still going out with him? Why? Just to make fun of him? The poor stupid sucker who let himself be seduced by the biggest bitch on Earth?"

"Watch your mouth. You don't know what you're talking about." Lisa rolled her eyes.

"Don't I?" Allison countered. "I sure know a hell of a lot more than you did." She noticed that Lisa's eyes kept darting around nervously.

"Oh, don't worry." Allison said. "I won't tell anyone about your dirty little secret. Because that is the kind of person I am." She rolled her eyes. "You know, it was pretty hypocritical to call me a slut when you were cheating on Chase long before he dumped your sorry ass."

Lisa lunged towards her, but House held her back. "Not worth it." He muttered. Lisa cast him a dirty look.

"Don't touch me." Lisa hissed angrily. "I loved you." She snapped, slapping him. Hard. With that, she stalked away, pulling her phone out to call a taxi. House stared after her but made no motion to chase after her.

"The sad thing is, I loved you too." Allison sighed. She suddenly felt drained. "I truly thought we'd gotten to know each other and everything. That I'd found an amazing guy that I really connected with. I told you so many personal things, House. But you know what? I realized something. I am ten times the person you will ever be." She perused him sadly. "Have a nice life, House. Or don't. I am _so_ beyond caring."

As she walked away, she was surprised to realize that she felt…ok. At peace, even. Maybe this was a sign that she and House just weren't meant to be. Maybe Chase was enough.

**Author's note: REVIEW PLZ!**

**And for those of you who like Once Upon a Time, I will be posting a new Once fanfic tomorrow! **


	26. Chapter 26

Epilogue (three weeks later)

Allison's head rested comfortably on Chase's chest as he played absentmindly with her now very tangled hair. They lay in silence, neither feeling the need to speak, as they tried to catch their breath, listening to the pounding of the rain against the windows.

It had been three weeks since she'd seen House and Lisa. Three weeks since she and House had spoken last. Three weeks since she vowed to forget all about the twisted seniors and just move on with her life. Three weeks since she'd fully committed herself to Chase. Chase, who was a wonderful boyfriend. Chase, who never failed to cheer up. Chase, who was sweet, loyal, and amazing. _Chase, who's hand was traveling farther and farther down south._

"Whoa there sonny." Allison placed her hand atop his, stopping it from going down further. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Nothing." He blinked fake innocently as he started nibbling on her ear.

"Likely story." She giggled. "Hey, that tickles."

Just then, the doorbell rang. "Ugh. Really?"

"Ignore it." Chase said as he started planting kisses on her stomach. The feel of his lips on her bare stomach made goose bumps crop up. "It's probably just some kid selling cookies." He murmured.

"I should get that." Allison pushed him off her. "Might be important." Spotting Chase's light blue button down, she pulled it on over her way too revealing for the door bra and underwear. "Be right back." She said, blowing him a kiss.

She walked down the stairs quickly, groaning loudly as the doorbell was rung again. "I'm coming!" She called, annoyed. She pulled open the door, expecting some UPS guy standing there with a box. But to her surprise, there was no one there.

"Stupid kids." She rolled her eyes. The kids in her neighborhood were known for ringing people's doorbells and then running away. But then she noticed the bulky package sitting on the Welcome mat.

"What?" She bent over to pick it up, looking for its address. Maybe it was delivered to the wrong house. But her name and address were written on the box in spiky red ink. She noted that the handwriting was vaguely familiar. Closing the door with her hip, she took the package inside and examined it all over. It felt pretty light for a box of its size. She shook it. Sounded like there were a lot of packing peanuts or whatever.

"Allie?" Chase called from upstairs.

"Just a sec." She answered. Dimly, she realized that it might not be such a good idea to open a mysterious package, thanks to all the horror stories about people receiving poisonous substances in the mail. But curiosity got the better of her as she fetched the letter opener and ripped open the package.

What was inside made her gasp aloud as she shoved aside the packing peanuts to reveal a… toy doctor's kit? And attached to the kit was a tag. And on the tag, in the same spiky handwriting, was a single word.

_Sorry._

**Author's note: And that's the end of I Know That I'll Regret It! Thanks for reading and reviewing! And special thanks to the amazing MonkeyLovr, who helped me plan a lot of the storylines. Most likely won't be a sequel, unless I get MANY requests, since I have to work on my new Once fanfic. As always, reviews are always appreciated :)**


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